A Black Christmas fanfic
by Ehlonna Bloodstorm
Summary: Very obscure pairing. Set eight years after the events in the movie, Pitch Black finds himself depowered and working for Nicholas St. North. The Boogeyman has to get used to his new position and the fact that he's developing feelings for the Guardian of Wonder. But why did the Guardians save him? Side Jackrabbit.
1. Chapter 1

_**They watched it happen. They watched as the nightmares he created from corrupting Sandman's dreams, dragged him back into the darkness of his lair. They thought nothing more of it. Pitch had been defeated. The nightmares would feed on his fear and he would never harm them or the children again. **_

Eight years later…

_**It was never meant to be like this. If we had known what would happen after we let the nightmares haul Pitch back into the darkness…**_

_**It's not our fault. We meant well. He had to be stopped, but… **_

_**We protect the children. That's our job. **_

_**We failed. **_

"I just wanna say again how much I absolutely _hate_ this idea."

"We don't have a choice, Bunny." Tooth said for what felt like the hundredth time. Her emerald feathers ruffled as she flittered back and forth. "The Man in the Moon told us we have to do it." She frowned. "I don't like it either."

Jack peered down the dark hole. "I think we're forgetting the most important thing. Will he even hear us out?"

Bunnymund's ears twitched. "It's been eight years, Jackie-boy."

"Yeah, and correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't he festering a grudge for over a thousand?"

The Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny exchanged a look. "How are we getting down there?" Tooth asked.

Jack rolled his eyes. He knew an evasion when he heard one. "I just climbed down last time. Careful. It's steep."

They made it down the hole with only minor mishaps. Bunny slipped and accused Jack of making the path icy which the ice elf denied. "This place is bleak." Bunny commented.

"My poor little fairies were stuck here?" Tooth eyed the cages and suppressed a shudder.

Jack put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "The sooner we get Pitch, the sooner we can get out of here."

Bunny's ears pricked and he moved them this way and that. "I hear something. Come on." He bounded through the tunnel.

"Slow down!" Jack whispered. Trust the Easter Kangaroo to go running off in unfamiliar surroundings.

Tooth and Frost didn't have to go far, almost running into the Pooka who was standing over a drop and staring at something in absolute horror.

The Tooth Fairy and Jack followed his gaze and were taken aback by what they saw.

There were hundreds of nightmares—maybe thousands; a giant undulating mass of corrupted dreams in the middle of the cavern, but not as the three Guardians remembered them. No, these nightmares were mutated. These were bloated and twice their original size with dripping lamprey-like appendages extending from their horse-like maws. The horrible new additions were draped over the cold rocks and attached to the prone form of none other than Pitch Black. The Boogieman had seen better days. Curled in a fetal pose, Pitch's back, stomach, arms, and legs were being feasted on by the very creatures that he helped create. The Guardians watched in horrified fascination as a herd of nightmares removed their feeders and moved aside sluggishly for another group to take their turns.

"This is bad." Tooth whispered. She backed up. "Is he even still alive?"

"He has to be." Bunny frowned. "They wouldn't be eatin' on him if he wasn't."

"Oh g-" Tooth doubled over and was promptly sick. She looked pale. "So what's the plan?"

"There's no way those things are just going to let us take away their only meal." Jack murmured. He looked at Bunnymund. "We need a distraction."

Bunny's ears drooped. "I just knew you were going to say that, mate." He sighed. The pooka scaled the wall. He excessed the situation. Even if he managed to get the majority of the nightmares to follow him, would Tooth and Frost be able to get Pitch free from the ones that were feeding on the Boogieman? Pulling free one of his boomerangs, he took aim at the head of one of the feeding mares. The creature ruptured in a black, sandy mist and its death alerted the others to his presence. "Oi!" Bunnymund waved his paws in the air. The Nightmares bared their teeth. "Oh ho ho!" the pooka arched a brow. "Didn't like that, did we?" Bunnymund did a handstand and waved his rump at the horses. "Come and get it, you overgrown Shetland ponies!"

That did it. The nightmares charged en masse, only three staying to finish their feeding. Tooth and Jack could easily handle those.

The second the nightmares took up chase after Bunny through the tunnels, Tooth and Jack made their way down to Pitch and dispatched the remaining three. "Pitch?" Tooth leaned over and pressed a hand against the Boogieman's cheek. His eyelids fluttered but there was no other response.

Jack crouched down. "Is he…?"

"No." Toothiana shook her head. "But he's in a bad way. We need to get him to North and fast."

"Nothing faster than my tunnels." The Tooth Fairy and Jack started when Bunny landed beside them.

"What are you doing here?" Jack looked around. "Where are the nightmares?"

"Gave 'em the slip." Bunny smirked. "Don't know if you noticed, mate but they were a little on the fat side. Must not have been getting any exercise while they were gorging themselves on…" the Pooka finally noticed Pitch. "Crikey! He looks awful."

It was true. Pitch's face was drawn tight with pain. There were scars and scratches across the Nightmare King's face and the flesh was scraped away where the nightmares' extra "mouths" had attached themselves to his skin.

Toothiana examined Pitch's face and touched it gently. "These must have been from when he was dragged down here." Tooth commented as a way of breaking the silence. "Shouldn't they have healed?"

"Not if he didn't have enough strength left to do it." Bunny frowned. "Nightmares must have started chowin' down the second they landed. Eight years of _this_. Unable to heal himself and unable to die. Can't think of a worse hell."

Jack chewed on the inside of his cheek. "We should head back to North's."

Everything hurt.

"Pitch? I told you to bring him back unharmed!"

Everything hurts.

"Hey, hey, hey! _We_ didn't do this! The nightmares did!"

Make it stop.

"Clear a bed and push it into the main chamber. Manny's light should undo damage."

No. No more.

"Oh my gosh! Guys! I think he's starting to come to!"

Please no more! Stop it!

"Bloody hell! He's puttin' up quite the fight for somebody who looks like he's on death's door!"

Stop it! Stop it!

"Pitch, it's us! We're not trying to hurt you."

No more! Stop it! No more pain! No! No! No!

"He doesn't understand. Sandy, knock him out."

No—

North paced impatiently. Pitch was being bathed in Man in the Moon's silver light. The Guardian of Wonder didn't know what he expected when he requested the others retrieve the Nightmare King. Eight years had passed without so much of a peep from their enemy and they had all thought it was a good thing, but…

Pitch deserved to be punished that much was true, but not like this. _Eight years._ It could have gone on for many more. One of the elves jingled next to him. It carried a platter of cookies and smiled up hopefully at him. North smiled down at it and took one, but didn't eat it. He was still watching Pitch. When Sandman had been forced to use his dreamsand, he noticed that the image formed from Pitch's dream was that of a little girl. "Who was she?" he wondered aloud. A sister like Jack's perhaps?

Man in the Moon's light started to withdraw. North went over to Pitch's bed and studied him. Most of the feeding marks were already healed and the others would soon follow suit. "Phil," he called to the dark brown yeti. "Have the elves to prepare a room for him, I have preparations to make."

Pitch groaned as he rolled over. _Where am I_, he sat up and looked around. Certainly not in his lair, that was for sure. This place was too warm. Too bright. Too sweet. He could hear the sounds of growls and hammering. _Oh fantastic._ He was in North's Ice Palace. Though he was loathed to leave the softest bed he'd ever had the pleasure of sleeping on, Pitch knew that it was best not to delay the inevitable. There had to be a reason he was here and not being eaten alive by his nightmares and if he wanted that reason he'd have to face the Guardians. Pitch placed his feet on the cold wooden floor. The Boogieman looked down. Frowning, he reached back towards the bed for its thick woolen cover. Wrapping the blanket around his waist, Pitch fumed quietly. Who had the _gall_ to undress him? Pitch squared his shoulders then threw open the door. The hallway led out to the workshop. The second the yetis and elves saw him all work came to a halt. Pitch sneered, "Take me to your master."

Two yetis ushered him through a door. North had been speaking with Tooth and Bunny while Jack lounged on the table watching as the Sandman dozed beside him. Sandy had to be nudged awake and he blinked in confusion upon spotting Pitch. They all looked visibly shaken to see Pitch up and about.

"Ah, Pitch." North stepped forward. "So good to see that you are better."

Pitch didn't answer. He studied each of his enemies one by one, trying to gauge who could tell him what. The Boogieman settled on a direct approach. "Why am I here?" he turned to North.

"Ah yes, you would be wanting explanation." North clapped his hands. "But first, fruitcake?" he displayed the platter. Pitch's lip curled. Santa sighed and tossed the plate away. _No one ever wants fruitcake._ "Very well. You were brought here in hopes of redemption." North explained. "The Man in the Moon has decided that maybe you can learn the error of your ways."

Pitch was taken aback by this. Redeemed? "I don't want your bloody redemption!" he snarled. "I want power and to be believed in!"

"Well, you can't have it." Bunny snapped. "Look, here's the deal. You can either stay up here where we can keep an eye on you or you can go back to your little hole in the ground. Man in the Moon is trying to give a second chance."

Pitch stared at the rabbit. He couldn't go back. Not with the nightmares waiting for him. "What are the terms of this…agreement?"

"You would stay here." North told him. "Working to repair the damage you did when you try to destroy us. You are still meant to be punished but Manny believes that isolating you was too harsh. "

Pitch's lips thinned. Harsh was an understatement.

"We can't risk you corrupting anything or trying to take over again." Tooth fluttered forward. She held a box in her hands and she gave it to North. He opened it and displayed two thick gold bracelets etched with strange runes.

Pitch glanced at them. He lifted one of the bracelets so he could examine it closely. "And these would be?"

The Guardians looked almost...ashamed. "You wear these to dampen your powers." North said finally.

"Dampen my…? No!" Pitch dropped the jewelry like it burned him, reeling backwards and almost tripped over the blanket around his waist. "I see this for what it is!" he spat. "You mean to tame me! Good little Pitch! Harmless Pitch! I won't let you take my powers! It's all I have!" his voice broke at the end and he cursed his weakness.

"It wouldn't be forever." Tooth tried to console him. "If you prove yourself we'll have them removed. And," she added quickly. "It's just your ability to create the nightmares and your shadow control."

"Oh! Is _that_ all? Silly me!" The Nightmare King wanted to throw their offer back into their smug faces. It wasn't enough that they had ruined his one chance to be someone again, but now this! This was just too much. Pitch took several calming breaths. He glanced at Sandman and was enraged to see pity in the little man's eyes. "So let me get this straight. I refuse your offer and you send me back?" he put his arms behind his back and clasped his hands. Pitch's face was calm. "I assume you saw what awaits me. You had to, seeing as you were the ones who took me away from it." He started walking around North. "And you're saying that if I don't agree to this…_farce_," Pitch spat. "You'll knowingly send me back? Am I supposed to believe that?"

Bunnymund was in front of him in a second. He grabbed the Pitch behind the neck and yanked him forward. "You tried to _kill_ us." He hissed. "You tried to ruin all that we stood for and you tried to hurt the children that we've sworn to protect." The Pooka's eyes flashed. "Either take the deal and put on the bracelets or I'll drag you back and toss you to your mares myself!"

Pitch's eyes widened. "I think you truly mean that." He said softly.

"You better believe it." The Easter Bunny snorted and released him.

Pitch rubbed the back of his neck where Bunny's claws had pricked him. "Very well." He turned back to North. The Nightmare King held out his arms. North wasn't satisfied and he signaled for a yeti. The yeti tied a scarf around Pitch's eyes. "What is this for?"

"Bracelets have to be locked with key. Key must be hidden." North said to him. "You're doing the right thing, Pitch." He whispered. He placed the box in Phil's hands and removed the bracelets.

Pitch kept silent, but they could see tears starting to trail down his face. He almost jumped when he felt the cold metal touch his skin. "Easy now." North murmured, as if he were talking to one of his reindeer. The bracelet's twin clamped down onto his other wrist. "The key," he heard North order.

North locked the bracelets into place and handed it back to an elf that ran off with it to who knows where. "It is done." He sounded tired.

Pitch's eyes were uncovered. The bracelets glittered under the light. "That's it?" he scoffed. "I was expecting—" he screamed as a searing pain shot up his arms. "What is this?" Pitch demanded. Trickery! Oh, he should have known better than to trust these fools! Pitch fell to his knees, screaming in agony. The Guardians were rooted to the spot, unsure of how to help. There was no need. As quickly as the pain had started it ended, the heat bled down his arms and back into the bracelets. Pitch's chest heaved; his brow was drenched in sweat, his bottom lip bled from where he bit it in an effort to stifle his screams, and his whole body trembled. He stared down at the bracelets and noticed that the carved runes were dyed black. His powers, locked away in these insignificant little trinkets.

_So that's it,_ he chuckled sadly. _That's the end of old Pitch._ Pitch swallowed. He ignored North's helping hand and trudged back to his room.

The Guardians all sighed with relief. "What would we have done if he said no?" Tooth asked as soon as Pitch was gone.

"He wouldn't have." Bunnymund replied. "He couldn't risk going back to that."

"Yes," Tooth pressed. "But what if he _had_?"

The Pooka frowned. "Well, we would have been right buggered. I mean, you did seal up Pitch's tunnel right, Sandy?"

The Sandman nodded. Now that their one food source was gone there was a chance that the nightmares would move out in search of more fear to feed on. The hope was that with enough time they would eventually starve to death.

"Never pegged you for an actor, Bunny." Jack smirked.

Bunnymund looked over at him. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Snowflake."

Jack's cheeks flushed and he rolled his eyes heavenward. "Anyway, the important thing is that it worked and Pitch is here. Now we just have to see if it has any effect."

"For the sake of the children, I hope that it does." North said quietly.

North knocked on Pitch's door. It had to be him as the yetis weren't brave enough to risk it given his current mood. Pitch crawled out of bed and donned his blanket. "What is it?" the Boogieman knew he sounded churlish but he was past caring.

"I had yetis repair your clothes." North handed Pitch his folded cloak and leggings. "There was a considerable amount of damage."

"Yes." Pitch's tone was even. "The nightmares found that they inhibited their ability to reach my flesh, so they tore at them. If that's all." He moved to shut the door.

"Eh," North maneuvered his bulk and pushed his way inside. "I wanted to bring up the subject of your chores."

"Chores?" Pitch could feel the rage bubbling inside of him. "You expect me to do chores?"

"_Da_." North took the Nightmare King by the arm and led him out of his room. Pitch tried to dig his heels into floor, but North was too strong. He ignored the quizzical stares and whispers in their direction as Santa dragged him through the workshop. They stopped a few feet down from the door of North's office. They stood before a wooden plaque nailed to the wall. Under the plaque was bowl-shaped holder. "This is you." North tapped a wooden figurine of Pitch complete with a scowling visage.

Pitch smirked. "Appropriate."

North smiled, choosing to take that as a compliment. "I thought so." He reached into his coat and pulled out a white disk the size of a half dollar. He showed it to Pitch. **Sweep hallways**, was written across it. He plopped the disk into the holder. "Every morning you must check here to see what must be done."

Pitch sneered. "I'm to be your servant then? Your scullery maid. Sweeping floors like a good little peasant." he snarled. "Shall I wash your knickers as well?"

North looked confused, obviously not picking up on the sarcasm. "No, I wash those. You just do what is put in bowl."

Pitch seethed. He tore at his hair. "You listen to me, fat man." He jabbed a finger under North's nose. "I am the Nightmare King! The Boogeyman! I don't sweep. I don't do chores! That is _beneath_ me."

North shoved Pitch against the wall. He leaned down to look the Boogeyman in his frightened gold eyes. "You are Boogeyman, yes. Nightmare King, not so much. Your subjects turned on you. We want to help you. Let us." He clapped his paw of a hand onto Pitch's shoulder. "Chores may be beneath you, but you will do them. Even Jack helps out when he stays over."

Pitch frowned. "And if I refuse? Let me guess. You'll send me back to the nightmares."

"_Nyet_. I just won't feed you." North smiled. "You are not guest. You are part of my household and so you will work." He took a step back. North pointed back at the board. "If it is in bowl, you do it. End of story. Now, go get rest. Your day starts early tomorrow."

Pitch stalked back to his room, anger and displeasure rolling off him. The bastards. The freaks! _They think they can just order me around like this?_ He slammed his door and slumped down onto his bed. _I refuse to be treated like some insignificant—_ His eyes suddenly fell to his wrists where two still-healing wounds were visible under the bracelets. Pitch closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the headboard. What could he even do? He was no threat and they all knew it. _They're probably all laughing at me. Patting themselves on the backs for a job well done. To hell with them all. _

And it was then Pitch considered another scenario. The Guardians were hoping that he would fail. They were just itching to send him back to cave to be devoured by the nightmares. That was what these silly chores and bracelets were really about. _They think that they can break me._ Pitch bared his teeth in a snarl. _I'll show them. They can't break me. I'm stronger than them._

There was a knock on the door. Pitch shot up and walked over to it. He threw it open. "Now listen here—" Pitch blinked. There was no one there. Or so he thought. Pitch looked down when he felt a tug on his covering.

Sandman smiled up at him and waved. He pointed to the top of his head. A small axe formed. It was placed inside what looked like a grave and covered with a mound of dirt. Sandy held out his hand.

Pitch's eyes hardened. He stepped back; his eyes never leaving Sandy's and slammed the door as hard as possible.

Sandman sighed and floated away, a disappointed look on his face.

It was one of the elves that came up with the idea. He had noticed North putting a disk into Pitch's chore chart. He also noticed that whenever Pitch saw what was on it he would scowl, but immediately go off and do it. So he told the other elves, they snuck into North's office, and they began writing down other chores for Pitch to do. Their chores.

It wasn't a bad thing, they reasoned. The Boogeyman was supposed to be helping and he was supposed to be punished. So why not add more?

One day, one of the yetis spotted what the elves were doing. He supposed that he should tell North about it, but then he had an even better idea. The yetis could get to bed earlier if they didn't have to sweep the workshop at night. If they could get to bed earlier they could wake up earlier and make even more toys. So, the yeti wrote down **Sweep Workshop** and placed it inside the holder.

Pitch woke the next morning and made his way to his chore board. One week. He'd been stuck here for a week. It was humiliating the things he had to do. Dishes, mopping—_dusting_! It was almost unbearable, but Pitch did it anyway just to prove that he could.

Pitch came to a halt. Usually, North only placed one or two disks inside, but today his chore board was filled to the brim. Pitch almost screamed he was so angry, but he controlled himself. This is obviously _their_ doing. He decided. The Boogeyman narrowed eyes. Yes, that made sense. North expected him to complain; to give him a reason to send Pitch back to the nightmares. "They won't break me." Pitch whispered. "They won't."

Bunnymund usually stuck to his Warren once Easter was gone, but he found himself hanging around North's shop more these days. He scratched at his ear as he warmed himself by the fire. Hopping through the castle Bunny saw Pitch hard at work scrubbing the floor, above the Boogieman, floated Jack who was earbashing the poor bloke while he worked. The Pooka cleared his throat. "Jack, why don't go grab a bikkie from the kitchen. They have those purple frosted ones ya like."

Jack shrugged and left. Bunny settled into a seat and stared at Pitch. "Don't I even get a 'thank you'?" he asked Pitch.

"I don't have time to muck about with you, rabbit. I have too much to do."

Bunny rolled his eyes and shifted his position in the chair. "I gotta say I'm surprised you're doin all this. I was expectin' more whingeing from ya."

Pitch ignored him. The Pooka pulled out an egg and started painting on it. He could see why Jack had been yakking. With the Boogeyman working there was a need to fill the silence. "I don't get what your problem is, mate. You could stand to be a bit grateful."

Pitch slipped the brush back into the water before putting it back to the floor. "Yes, grateful." His tone dripped with venom. "Forgive me, it must be the stench of cleaning products, but _what_ exactly am I supposed to be grateful for?"

Bunnymund leaned forward. He jabbed his paintbrush at the King of Nightmares. "For starters, you should happy you're not tucker for those nightmares. And you should be glad that North was nice enough to give ya a place to stay." He leaned back in the chair and went back to painting. "Tooth and I both said no to that. Hurt or not you're still a psychopath."

That got Pitch to acknowledge him. "I never asked for your kindness. I didn't ask for your bleeding charity! I was doing fine on my own!"

The Pooka laughed at that. "Right! We all saw how well you were doin'!"

Pitch ground his teeth. He didn't have time for this. "Why don't you just leave? I'm busy and I'm sure that you'd probably prefer eye-banging Frost while he's not looking."

Bunny's fur ruffled. "W-what did you just say?" he hopped down.

Pitch smiled innocently. "I think you heard me. Does the little ice elf know you want to shag him?"

"You must like cheesing me off, Pitch." Bunny ground his teeth. "But I'm better than this." He turned to leave. As he approached the door he saw a bucket of coal. North kept them all over the place for some reason. Bunny tipped it over and the coals skittered across the clean floor. "Looks like you missed a spot."

North stretched. He had finished carving seventy new toy designs for the yetis and he was in need of a break. Turning off his record player, he took the remaining cookie off of the platter on his desk and walked out of his office. He nodded at the yetis, hard at work with the toys. North dodged the elves, cursing them quietly for being underboot again. Nicholas North made his way to the kitchen to get a glass of milk or something else to wash the taste of that last cookie of his mouth (why did it taste like spit?) and was greeted by the sight of Pitch scrubbing furiously at a cast iron pot. "Good day," he called in greeting to the Nightmare King. "Hard at work I see. Good, good." North turned to the cupboards to seek a cup, missing the look of contempt that passed over Pitch's face. "You know, Pitch." North said when he turned back. "The others are coming over this evening. You are free to join us."

Pitch kept his eyes on his work. What had the yetis cooked in here last night? Tar? "I'd rather not." He answered. "I suspect I'll go to bed after dinner."

North frowned. The Boogeyman always seemed to go bed after the evening meal. North chuckled, an attempt to mask his frustration. "Come now. You can go to bed later. Socialize. Be part of group!"

Pitch stood and took the pot over to the tap. Maybe if he soaked it whatever gunk was caked inside would break free. "I don't recall socializing being part of the deal."

"It would do you good." North tried.

"I'm not interested. Besides," Pitch dried his hands. "I'm usually too tired."

North threw back his head and laughed. "From doing a few chores? That is good one. That is funny!" He wiped a tear of mirth away. When he looked at Pitch what he saw, made the Guardian step back.

The Boogeyman's eyes flashed and his nostrils flared with barely contained anger. "I'm a joke to you?" he spat at North. "A few chores? Is that supposed to be _funny_? Forgive me if I fail to see the humor in the situation." Pitch grabbed the scrub brush and threw it back under the sink. "If you'll excuse me, I have more work to do, but you have _fun_ at your little get together. Tell you what, I'll make sure that the silver _gleams_ for you and your guests!" he elbowed past North and stalked out the kitchen.

Later that evening North recalled the situation to his friends. "You have to give him time," Tooth gave his hand a pat. "He has to get used to all of this. Pitch needs time to adjust."

Bunny snorted and nibbled on a cookie. "And maybe when he does he'll join us for tea and biscuits? Tooth, even if Pitch 'adjusts' what then? He'll never be a Guardian and he'll never forgive us for binding his powers." Bunnymund looked at North. "Just be grateful he hasn't poisoned your food."

There was an awkward pause as more than one pair of eyes examined their drinks and snacks.

North frowned. "I try to include him because whole mess started because he felt alone, but now he is doing it on purpose."

"You're doing it wrong." Everyone looked at Jack. The ice elf shrugged. "Pitch probably thinks that the reason you're so keen to hang with him is because Manny told you to. He probably sees it as yet another way for us to keep tabs on him."

Nicholas let out a frustrated growl. "I am not trying to keep tabs on him! I am trying to befriend him. I am trying to show him that he does not need to feel like this is punishment."

Jack frowned. "North, this _is_ a punishment."

"Well, yes," North floundered. "But what I mean is—" he was saved from having to explain by a raucous commotion coming from the workshop. "_Now_ what?" North hefted himself out his chair.

The others followed him out of curiosity. Tooth fluttered by North's shoulder. "Maybe one of the yetis got its fur caught in a toy's gears again?" she suggested.

"That only happened once." North looked around. "What is it?" he asked the yetis. "What is going on?"

One of them was pushed forward and it quickly yammered something. North's sapphire blues widened. He threw back his head and whooped. "Yetis reached halfway quota early!"

Sandman, Bunnymund and Tooth all applauded. Jack looked confused. "What does that mean?"

"It means they made the amount of presents it usually takes six months to make and they did it earlier than usual." Tooth grinned. "It's only happened two other times. Oh, I'm so proud of you all!" her baby tooth fairies squeaked their approval as well.

"Not only did they reach it, but they made so many that we are now ahead of schedule! This calls for celebration!" North jabbed a finger in the air. The yetis looked at him with anticipation gleaming in their eyes. He waved at them. "Yes, yes! Break out the Yeti-Wine."

That was met with a resounding cheer from the yetis that lumbered off to retrieve their goods. Jack looked at Bunnymund and noticed the Pooka looked alarmed. "What's Yeti-Wine?"

The Easter Bunny scowled. "An evil drink."

"Bunny!" The Tooth Fairy chastised. "It's a beverage that the Yetis mix up."

"Very alcoholic," North put in. "I don't usually let them have it because next day they are useless." He made a face. "Is why I give them next day off to recuperate." North's eyes twinkled. "Would anyone like a glass?"

Tooth visibly paled. "Oh dear." her feathers fluffed out. "Would you look at the time? I should be on my way back to my palace. So many teeth to gather."

North grabbed her by the arm. "Come on, Toothiana," he coaxed. "One glass will not hurt."

"Don't believe him." Bunnymund growled. "That's the devil's grog he's tryin' to push down your throat."

Tooth's brows knitted. "I was only supposed to stay for a bit. Have snack, chat with you guys, check on things," she said nervously.

North's smile widened. "One. Glass."

Toothiana sighed. "Oh alright. One glass but no more! I can't be flying all willy-nilly."

"Excellent!" North cheered. "Anyone else? Sandy?" the little man nodded, hesitantly, a number 1 flashed over his head. "Good!"

"I want some." Jack announced.

"You what? North, no!" Bunnymund had to put his foot down. "He's just a kid!"

"_He's_ standing right here." Frost frowned. "And I'm over 300 years old!"

"Right! Practically a baby!" Easter Bunny snapped.

"Oh, Bunny. Let Jack have a little fun." Tooth giggled.

The yetis burst back into the workshop carrying large barrels on their great, furry shoulders. The elves scampered around, handing out crystals goblets to everyone.

Easter Bunny groaned as he took one. "This is going to end in tragedy."

"Come on, Kangaroo." Jack teased. "Lighten up."

"Says the bloke who never had to suffer through a Yeti-Wine hangover before."

The ice elf looked at him quizzically. "You've had it before."

"Yep. Last time the yetis reached the Quota. Five hundred years ago."

"And you still remember it?"

Bunnymund grimaced. "Pain like that sticks in your mind."

Soon the wine was flowing and North watched happily as his friends talked about the last time they had it. Noticing movement out of the corner of his eye, North spotted a bedraggled looking Pitch walking pass. "Pitch!" he boomed. The Boogeyman practically jumped. "Share some wine with us. Come. Be part of group."

Pitch sneered. He eyed the gathering distastefully. "I'm going to bed."

"Have a drink." North persisted. He had a smile on his face, but his tone said there was no room open for discussion. "Sit."

Pitch narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to bed." His tone was equally firm.

"You will sit."

"Bed."

"Sit!"

"_Bed_!" and with that he was gone.

North gaped in astonishment. Next to him, Bunnymund was finishing his first glass. "You can't win 'em all, North."

With a look of determination, North got to his feet and grabbed two pitchers. He filled them with the Yeti-Wine, balanced two goblets and marched in the direction of Pitch's room.

The Easter Bunny sighed. "Tragedy," he repeated solemnly as he poured another glass.

Pitch was just about to pull down the covers when North barged into his room. The Boogeyman's eyes went comically wide before he slipped back behind a mask of condescension and disapproval. "Is this going to be a common occurrence?" he sat down. "You barging into my room like you own the place?"

North arched a bushy eyebrow. "I do own place." He pointed out. The Guardian of Wonder used his hip to nudge Pitch further down and placed the wine and goblets on the bedside table. He handed Pitch a goblet who in turn just stared at it. "You will drink with me." North told him and he moved to fill the Nightmare King's cup.

Pitch moved away. "I don't think so." He frowned.

North frowned and moved to take a firm hold on the other spirit's wrist. He filled the goblet to the brim and then poured one for himself. "Drink."

Pitch stared down into his cup, twirling the liquid contents. "What is this?" It was probably poisoned. There was no way he'd drink before North.

North seemed to guess why he was hesitating. He took a big gulp from his own glass and smiled, brightly. "Yeti-wine. Is good, yes?"

Pitch sighed. He knew there was no way out of this. Maybe if he finished this swill North would get bored and leave. The Yeti-wine was a deep, ruby red and smelled sweet. Pitch sniffed it and brought the goblet closer to his lips. He took a careful sip. His golden eyes went wide.

North puffed with pride. "Is good, yes?" he asked again.

"Yes," was Pitch's amazed reply. "You say the yetis made this?"

North nodded and topped off his glass. "_Da_. They make it themselves."

"Hard to believe." Pitch muttered before taking another drink. He closed his eyes and savored the taste. Yeti-wine was like fire and silk. Sweet but not too cloying, it warmed Pitch down to his toes. "May I have more?"

North was more than happy to oblige and he practically grinned as he poured the Boogieman a refill.

Pitch deep into his third cup and North was into his fifth by the time they started conversing. North was leaning against Pitch's headboard while the Nightmare King spoke. "I really made a mess of things, didn't I?" Pitch slurred.

"You just wanted to be believed in." North told him and helped himself to more wine. "You just went about it wrong."

Pitch nodded glumly. "You don't know what it's like." He whispered. "Working so hard and knowing that no one will acknowledge it. I was so tired of living in the dark. So tired of being…alone." Pitch held up his cup. North poured more wine and some of it sloshed over the side and onto the floor. They both looked at the red puddle and giggled. Pitch frowned. "You don't know how lonely it was. None of you do. You have the elves and yetis. Toothiana has her mini-fairies and the rabbit has those," Pitch frowned. "Egg…_things_ I suppose."

North snorted. "They would not be so good for conversation, I think."

Pitch grinned. "I suppose not." He pressed his forehead against North's arm. "Thank you," he whispered, "for saving me. You could have just left me down there and no one would have been the wiser. No one would have cared. The world would have kept spinning. I thought that Frost…he was so like me. No one believed in him either. I thought he would join me." Pitch smiled sadly. "We didn't have to be alone anymore. We could have been a family. I just wanted a family…" he took another drink.

"You have potential to be good person, Pitch." North placed an arm around the Nightmare King's shoulders and pulled him into a side-hug. Pitch snorted dismissively. North shook his head. "Is true!" he protested. "You want what we all want. Companionship and to be believed in, but you just wanted to get it in the wrong way."

Pitch looked at him. His eyes were shining from unshed tears. "Forgive me," Pitch rubbed his fists into his eyes. "I believe this wine is making me maudlin."

North gave him a pat on the back. "You don't have to be alone anymore." He made a sweeping gesture with his hand. "This can be your home. We can be your friends. We can be your family."

Pitch stared at the Guardian for a moment, looking into North's sapphire blue eyes as if he were searching for something. He leaned up and kissed North gently. Pitch sat back and blinked in a daze as North stared at him in shock. "I'm sorry." He spluttered. "I have no idea why I—mmph!" North had quickly closed the distance between them and pulled Pitch flush against his body. Pitch closed his eyes and returned the kiss hungrily. North smelled of cookies and the Nightmare King found the scent comforting. His large body was so incredibly warm and powerful arms wrapped themselves around Pitch's middle.

North could taste the wine on Pitch's tongue as he sucked on it gently. The Boogeyman moaned quietly and broke away to suck in a big gulp of air. North took the opportunity to attack the vulnerable gray flesh of his neck, sucking and nipping. Pitch moaned and threaded his fingers in North's white hair, tugging gently. The Guardian chuckled before moving his kisses up and back in the direction of the Boogeyman's lips. He nudged Pitch backwards until the Nightmare King was lying back against his pillow. North's hand played along Pitch's chest, slipping inside his cloak to tease over the nipple inside, before slipping out and continuing further down where it massaged Pitch's growing bulge. North soon grew tired of that and slipped his hand inside Pitch's trousers, gripping and stroking the hardened treasure inside.

Not to be outdone, Pitch turned his body slightly so that his back was to North's chest and stomach and pressed back against North's arousal. He rubbed against it and smiled when it elicited a moan from the Guardian. Pitch swallowed a cry when North tightened his hold. They stayed like that, North rutting against Pitch as the Boogeyman thrust into his palm. North's warm breath puffed over his ear. _Almost there_, Pitch groaned. _Just a little more. Just…a…_ "By the _Moon_!" Pitch cried out. His seed spurted over North's hand. The Guardian of Wonder moaned huskily in Russian as his hips jerked against Pitch's thigh. North fell back onto the bed with a satisfied grunt. Pitch had to nestle in close since the Guardian was taking up most of the bed. He looped an arm around North's belly and rubbed his cheek against the soft red shirt. North chuckled and placed a possessive arm around the Boogeyman.

The rest of the Yeti-wine set forgotten on the table as both the Nightmare King and North drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_This is not my room_.

That was the first thought that crossed North's mind when he opened his eyes. Well, the second really. The first had been a long stream of profanity when the light hit him. North felt the telltale signs of a Yeti-wine hangover coming on. Sensitivity to light, a headache that could be compared to ten inch spikes being driven through your eye sockets, dizziness, nausea, and an overwhelming need to crawl off somewhere and end it all. North groaned and started to sit up. He stopped when he saw a still sleeping Pitch cuddling his side. Last night came crashing back and the Guardian suppressed a scream.

He and Pitch had…by the Man in the Moon! Pitch was hugging him in his sleep, his head pillowed on North's chest. North was a little unnerved by the serene expression on the Boogeyman's face. He had to get away. North carefully removed his arm from around the Nightmare King and eased himself out of the bed. Pitch groaned and moved into vacant spot of warmth, but thankfully remained asleep. He stood there, hedging on whether or not to cover the Boogeyman with a blanket before common sense took hold. North opened the door quietly and slid out. He rubbed his eyes. What had he done?

North had to carefully make his way through the workshop. Unconscious yetis littered the floor. Tooth and Sandy were nowhere to be seen; they had stuck to their one glass and promptly left to do their nightly work. North spotted Jack Frost and Bunny in the corner and had to suppress a merry chortle. The Pooka was spooning the ice elf, his white haired head tucked under Bunnymund's chin. _They look adorable._ He smiled. It was nice when the two of them got along. _I always knew that if they put their minds to it they could be great friends._ North maneuvered his way through the slumbering bodies, completely missing when Bunnymund started sleep-humping the younger Guardian, but more on that later...

North slowly and carefully eased into the elevator, placing his brow against the cool metal he began to think about his situation. What was he going to do about the Boogieman now that this had happened? What was the best way to even handle a situation like this?

The Guardian sighed and walked down the hall. He figured that he'd clear his head by working on some new models. North had his hand on the doorknob when he noticed something. Walking back the way he came, he stopped in front of Pitch's chore board. Why were there so many—?

"_A few chores? Is that supposed to be _funny_?" _

"_Chyort voz'mi_!" _Those sneaky devils!_ North scowled. No wonder Pitch was so angry and tired all the time. How long had this been going on? North ran his hand over his head and sighed loudly through his nose. Apparently long enough that the yetis were able to make enough toys to put them ahead of schedule. He headed back to the elevator. Once downstairs, he kicked the nearest yeti in the leg. The beast was startled awake and blinked blearily up at the Guardian. "Go and wake Pitch." He ordered. "I want to see him in my office." And with that he turned around, ignoring the groan of complaint from the creature. North headed back, stopping first to grab all of the disks.

Placing a block of ice onto his table North grabbed his tools and started to chisel away. He did his best work from scratch with no planning plus it would give the Guardian time to think about his Pitch situation.

No time seemed to have passed when a knock came from the door. "Come in." North placed his hammer and chisel down and wiped his hands on his thighs. He sat down at his desk as Pitch entered.

At first glance, the Boogeyman didn't seem too effected by his hangover, but North could see the tightness around his eyes and slight wobble as Pitch tried to hold himself upright. He noticed another thing too. "Why are you wearing blanket again?" North stared at the spirit quizzically.

The Nightmare King blinked. A bruise-like coloring spread over his face to the tips of Pitch's ears. Blushing! He was blushing! North couldn't believe it. "My clothes are stained." Pitch answered in a glacial tone. "As I'm sure you recall."

It was North's turn to blush. "Um yes." He drummed his fingers on the desk.

Pitch seemed to find the Guardian's discomfort amusing. "You know," he smiled. "I could conjure myself another outfit. I can wrap myself in shadows and weave them into a new cloth." He sighed dramatically. "That is, I _could_ if it weren't for these." He lifted his hands, letting the light play off the golden bracelets.

"Pitch." North growled in warning.

The Boogeyman shrugged. "It was worth a shot. But," and he smiled again. "I thought you'd at least want me to hide this." Pitch tilted his head slightly and ran a finger slowly down his neck. North followed the finger's path until it stopped on a dark mark standing out on the ash-gray skin. "Your handiwork," Pitch quipped. "Would you like to see the rest?" the Boogeyman practically purred.

North cleared his throat loudly. "The reason I call you here is because of this." He gestured at the pile of disks. "It seems there has been some misbehavior." Pitch looked confused so he elaborated. "You should not be doing this many. Too much for one person. I think the yetis and elves have been giving you their chores."

Pitch's face soured. "They've been _what_?" he snarled and took a step forward. "I've been working my fingers to the bloody bones and you're telling me that it wasn't even my work?" the Boogieman scoffed. "And why is it you're just noticing this now?"

If it were possible North looked even more embarrassed. "I…have been letting yetis drop your chores into dish." He admitted. "What?" North frowned at Pitch's outraged expression. "Is good delegation!"

"Delegation, my ass!" Pitch spat. "You just couldn't be bothered and now look at what's come of it!" he smoothed his hair back. "Well, what happens now?" Pitch demanded.

"I give you time off." North told him. "Four days."

"A week."

"Four days."

"Six days." Pitch counteroffered.

North's thick brows furrowed. "I can always make less."

Pitch sighed. "Four it is." The Boogeyman looked at him. A minute or two of silence passed before he asked, "Is there…anything else you wish to discuss?"

North reached for his chisel. He kept his eyes on it. "No."

Pitch turned so North wouldn't see his face fall. "If that's all then." He said quietly. "I'll go back to my room."

North stood. "Pitch, wait." The Guardian strode quickly over to the Boogeyman. "About last night…"

Pitch turned back and stared at him. "Yes?" North couldn't place the expression on Pitch's face or rather he didn't want to. The Nightmare King probably thought he was keeping his face even, but North could see it. He could see it shining just behind those golden eyes, burning dimly like a campfire.

Hope. It hurt North in ways he can't understand because he knows what will happen next.

"It would be better if we kept it between us." His gut twisted as Guardian of Wonder watched the light die. "Save ourselves embarrassment. You understand, yes?"

"Of course," Pitch waved a hand dismissively, his voice lighthearted. "We'll just chalk last night up to overindulgence. Nothing happened." He turned his back to North and opened the door. "Will that be all?"

"I will…be placing your chores in bowl myself." North promised.

"How very kind of you," Pitch walked out, slamming the door behind him.

E. Aster Bunnymund was dreaming. He dreamed that he was bounding through a field with spring green grass and miles upon miles or red and purple flowers. It was glorious feeling the springy grass beneath his paws. Suddenly, Jack Frost sprang up three feet in front of him startling him to a stop. "Can't catch me!" The winter spirit laughed. He flew off at a startling speed leaving a trail of snow.

Bunny grinned and followed. They ran for what seemed like hours. Bunny would get close enough to grab the hem of Jack's hoodie with his teeth only to have the ice elf dart away at the last second. Finally, Bunnymund was able to grab the trickster and he pulled him from out of the air. They rolled in the grass, laughing and wrestling.

"You know what I want?" Jack grinned at him suddenly.

Bunnymund chuckled, still thinking it was part of the game. "And what would that be?"

Jack Frost pushed the Pooka away and positioned himself on his hands and knees. "Mount me, Bunny." The ice elf licked his lips. "Mount me. I know you want to."

Aster quickly put some distance between them. "Jack, I can't." Bunnymund looked away.

"Please?" when Bunnymund looked up all of Jack's clothes were gone. The ice elf was lying on his back, stretched lewdly on the grass. "I want it so badly."

"Crikey," The Easter Bunny could feel his resolve failing. "This can't be real."

Naked Jack crawled toward him. "And why can't it?" he blinked his large blue eyes innocently. "Why can't this be real? Why can't you make it real?"

Bunnymund started breathing loudly through his nose. No. This was not happening. With a growl of frustration he pushed Jack down into the grass and positioned himself above him. He was going to tell the elf to go away but when he opened his mouth, "You asked for it, Frostbite," was what came out instead.

Gods, it felt good. Rubbing himself against the younger Guardian's rear was better than Bunnymund could have imagined. Jack's butt was so firm, so tight, so—

Bunnymund opened his eyes. Jack Frost was still sleeping his arms.

_Oh shi-!_ He backpedaled away from the ice elf as fast as he could. Aster didn't stop until he was backed against a wall. The Pooka was mortified. _I was humping Jack Frost. I was humping Jack _bloody_ Frost!_ "Right," Bunnymund rubbed a paw over his eyes and groaned softly. "Guess I'll just be killing myself then." No, wait. That was a bit overly dramatic. It wasn't as if anyone had even witnessed it. Bunny looked around. The yetis were still out. _Looks like I was getting' all worked up for nothing. _Bunnymund grinned. He looked over at the still slumbering winter spirit. _Gods, he adorable when he's all quiet_, Bunny's ears twitched. He looked down. He was still erect; the fright caused by someone catching him hadn't been enough to make him lose it. _I could rub it against him some more. No one would even have to know. Not like I'd be hurting him. Just rubbing one out against his bum…_ Bunny raised a paw and brought it across his face. Had he seriously been considering molesting Jack Frost in his sleep?! What was wrong with him?

"Let's see," a voice said from beside him. Bunny whipped around to see a sheet wearing Pitch Black staring down at him. "Judging from your expression you must have been doing something extremely naughty." Pitch looked over at Jack. The Boogeyman smiled knowingly. "Quite a bit of rabbit fur on the back of Frost's hoodie. Know anything about it?"

Bunnymund fur puffed up in agitation. "Rack off, Pitch!" he hissed. The Pooka couldn't risk waking the others. "Before I shove a foot up your narrow ass!"

Instead of looking frightened, the threat seemed to amuse the Nightmare King even more. "My! What an _interesting_ response," Pitch started to walk off. "Which I will have to file away for a later date since I'm needed elsewhere." The Boogeyman tossed another infuriatingly smug look over his shoulder. "I know what you're hiding." He teased. "I think a quick jaunt outside in the snow will help you to rid yourself of it." and with that he was gone.

Bunnymund scowled. The nerve of stupid figjam! _Still_, Bunny grimaced. The advice about the snow was probably a good idea. He started hopping toward the door. "Damned Yeti-wine," Bunny scowled.

Pitch was curled in an easy chair watching with amusement as North scolded the yetis and elves. He smirked as the furry giants hung their heads in shame and the elves looked close to tears. Pitch looked in North's direction and his smirk faltered. He had to admit that seeing the Guardian all red-faced with anger and hearing him sound so authoritative was a bit of a turn on. Pitch had been able to tell himself yesterday that his attraction to North was foolish and the result of that poisonous brew the yetis concocted. He reasoned that as soon as his head cleared he would come to his senses and yet here he was, watching North like this. Pitch scowled and looked back to the book in his lap. It was still open but the Boogeyman couldn't remember the last place he stopped.

"—And don't let me catch you doing anything like that again!" North boomed, his tirade coming to an end. The Guardian of Wonder dismissed his workers. He noticed Pitch watching him. They stared at one another for a full minute before North changed direction and went to speak with a yeti who was painting flowers on a dollhouse.

Pitch's lip curled into a sneer. _Coward._ He snapped the book shut and headed for his room. He wouldn't spend his first day off sitting here being skirted around.

It was like that for the next two days. If North entered a room and saw Pitch he immediately found an excuse to leave it.

North rationalized that there was so much to supervise. After all, the yetis had lost some of his trust after their trickery. He now watched their every move and made note of even the most minor transgressions. The other Guardians watched North warily. They knew that he was upset that the yetis and elves had tricked Pitch, but they'd never seen the Guardian of Wonder so irritable and snappish. "North," Toothiana commented. "I know the yetis and elves upset you, but maybe you could lay off of them just a teeny, tiny bit?"

North frowned deeply. "_Nyet_. They must learn error of ways! Dingle!" he shouted at the elf. "You should be cleaning reindeer stables. Off with you!"

"Yes," Tooth's feather fluffed out. "But you're acting…mean?"

North whirled around, a shocked expression on his face. "Mean? What is this? How am I mean?"

"You're yelling at them all the time." The tooth fairy frowned. "If they spill something you scream at them and throw things. North, this isn't like you." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

North sat heavily in a chair. "I don't know." He said. But he did. He couldn't keep avoiding Pitch (the workshop was big, but not _that_ big) and he couldn't ignore the looks of disappointment and anger that the Boogeyman always seemed to wear around him. It irritated North that the Nightmare King was acting this way.

Tooth was right. He couldn't keep treating his helpers in this manner. North hoisted himself out the chair. "Going for walk," he told Tooth. "I'm thinking I need to clear head." North walked through the shop. He couldn't help but notice sadly that the yetis would duck their heads when he walked passed and the elves would scamper away. He didn't like this. North made up his mind to apologize later. He headed to the kitchen with the intent of grabbing a cup of eggnog and he was surprised to see Pitch washing dishes. "What are you doing? You still have two days left of free time."

The soapy water came up to Pitch's elbows and the Nightmare King scrubbed down a plate. "I was bored." He replied. "You only have so many books and I've read them all." Pitch examined a plate. "Twice."

North nodded and went to a cupboard for a glass. He poured himself a cool glass of eggnog and took a sip. "I must say, North." Pitch looked over his shoulder. "I rather like this new side of you."

"Hmm?" the Guardian didn't know what Pitch meant.

The Boogieman smiled darkly. "Yelling at your workers and instilling a sense of fear in them! Well," Pitch rinsed off another dish. "I never thought you had it in you."

A wave of shame hit North. "I don't want them to be afraid of me." He protested.

Pitch snorted. "Well, we all want things, North." He suddenly looked saddened. "Doesn't mean we get them."

North sat down his glass. "And what is it that you want, Pitch?"

Pitch leveled a calculating look at the Guardian of Wonder. "Why ask when you don't even want to hear?" he wiped his hands. "I'm proud of you though. This is the longest you've been in my presence without fleeing like a frightened kitten."

North bristled at that. "Pitch," He took a step forward. "You are beginning to upset me."

"Only just beginning?" Pitch looked disappointed. "I shall have to work harder."

North surged forward and slammed a fist down on the counter top. Pitch stared up at him with a bored look. "What do you _want_?" Santa demanded.

The Boogieman's eyes flashed. "What I want is for you to stop running from room to room whenever you see me like a bloody coward! I want you to face what we did! Stop hiding from it!" Pitch's voice broke. He looked away. "Stop hiding from _me_.

"What's done is done," he continued. "I'm sorry you feel so ashamed of it that you need to treat me like I have some sort of contagion, but," Pitch shrugged. "I suppose you have that right."

"You think I avoid you because I'm ashamed?" North demanded. "Embarrassed, yes, but not for reason you believe. I took advantage of you."

"I kissed you, you stupid oaf." Pitch rolled his eyes. "Yeti-wine or no, I remember that much."

North shakes his head. "I should not have pushed it further."

Pitch placed his hands on North's chest and tried to shove him, but the Guardian stays put. "You are a dull creature." He snapped. "I don't know why I bother wasting my attentions on you!" Pitch was seething mad. "We both know the real reason you're so intent on hiding! You can't bear for your buddies to find out that you were snogging a freak!" North grabbed Pitch's wrists and the Boogeyman tried to jerk away. "Let go of me!" he snarled.

"You are wrong." North sighed. He glanced at Pitch's wrists. "Scars are almost completely gone." He brushed his thumbs over the ash-gray flesh visible beneath the bracelets.

Pitch's face scrunched up briefly and he looked like he wants to continue arguing. Finally he just sighed. "Yes, well MiM's magic is powerful." They stood there in silence for a moment. "I should get back to the dishes." Pitch said quietly.

North grunted in agreement, thumbs still rubbing against Pitch's skin.

Pitch swallowed. "Y-you probably have some toy designs you need to get back to."

North has started leaning in. "They can wait."

Pitch's sigh was barely audible as he leaned in and tilted his head…

They were barely a breadth apart when they heard Toothiana calling North's name. Pitch turned back silently to the sink and started to wash down a bowl. He didn't bother to look up when he heard North walk out of the kitchen.

Jack Frost liked to pride himself for noticing things. He noticed that even though Bunnymund is always saying that North's Christmas cookies are dry and tasteless, he'll stuff five or six into his bandolier for later when he thinks no one is looking. Jack noticed that Tooth always add seven cubes of sugar to her eggnog and then (wracked with guilt) fly off to brush her teeth. He also started to notice things about North and Pitch. The Boogeyman has pretty much settled into his new life at North's workshop, but there were times when Jack saw him bickering with North. They're conversations are always little more than whispers and they immediately stop when they notice anyone watching. North seemed at a lost with what to do with the Boogeyman and spent most of his time in his office.

"Hey, North." The young Guardian floats down next to the larger one. "I was thinking that Pitch looks a little bored. Why don't I take him out for a while?"

North wasn't so sure that was a good idea then again it would give him a reason not to see the Boogeyman sulking around his shop. "It could not hurt." Santa surmised. "Would be good thing. Yes, you take Pitch out. I will be going to tell him. Have Phil prepare snow globe for you." Jack grinned and flew off, already planning things to do on his outing. North frowned as he made his way to Pitch's room. The Guardian didn't know what he would say, but there was no way he could call Jack back not without an explanation.

He banged a fist against Pitch's door and only opened it when the Boogieman gave him permission to enter. The Nightmare king was reclining on his bed, reading and barely spared North a glance. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" Pitch asked.

North closed the door behind him. "Jack wants to take you out. Is good thing, yes? You must be getting bored." North looked around the room, never letting his eyes settle on Pitch.

"How convenient."

North looked at the Boogeyman. "What?"

Pitch sat up and smiled. "You want me out of your shop so badly that you'd hoist me off on Jack Frost."

"I don't want you out of the shop." North protested. "It is outing!"

"Yes," Pitch bit out. "That's what you keep telling yourself, isn't it? Does it help?"

North took a step forward. He towered over the Boogeyman and frowns down at him. "Watch your tone." He growled.

Pitch refused to be cowed. "Don't tell me what to do!" he jabbed a finger at North's chest. "I'm not a yeti or an elf! I will do what I please!"

North's eyes burned with anger and it sends a shiver up Pitch's spine. "You will go on outing with Jack Frost."

"I won't."

North's face is inches from his. "You. Will."

Pitch bared his teeth in a vicious grin. "Make me."

North glared at him. A beefy hand moved forward, cups the Boogieman behind the head and pulls him forward into a heated kiss.

Pitch moaned into the Guardian's mouth. Wrapping his arms up around North's neck, he pressed himself into the other's body. North's hands moved south and firmly gripped Pitch ass and he hoisted the Boogeyman into the air. Pitch broke away from the kiss to take a quick breath before returning with equal passion. Pitch wrapped his slender legs around Santa's middle and rubbed himself feverishly against the Guardian. "More," he whimpered. "Give me more."

"_Nyet_," North whispered as he moved closer to Pitch's bed. He dropped the Nightmare King and tried to back away.

"Oh hell no." Pitch snarled. He grabbed the front of North's coat and hauled him back. "Not this. Not again." Pitch leaned in and bit North on his bottom lip. "Please, North."

The Guardian relented and pressed himself back down. Pitch could taste eggnog on North's tongue. He hissed in surprise when North got a bit adventurous and started teasing his nipples. It had to end though.

North climbed off the bed, panting heavily. The front of his trousers was tented and he closed his coat to hide it. "You will go with Jack." He told Pitch.

Pitch groaned and sat up. "Fine," he folded his arms across his chest. "But you can't make me have fun." He added sulkily.

North chuckled. He held out his hand. Pitch stared at it then rolled his eyes before taking it. North pulled Pitch to his feet. The Boogeyman smiled and reached inside Santa's coat and gripped the clothed bulge. "Was this for me?" he purred.

North closed his eyes and fought the urge to buck into Pitch's hand. "Perhaps." North growled. He reopened his eyes and they twinkled mischievously. "If you are good boy."

Not one to back down from anything, Pitch grinned. "Oh? Hmm, and if I'm _very_ good will I get to sit on Santa's lap?"

North's eyes glazed over, an image of a half-naked Pitch sitting in his lap and riding him comes unbidden to his mind. As if he could tell what North is thinking, Pitch laughed. "You are a delight!" Pitch exclaimed. He quickly sobered. "So what does this mean?" he toyed with North's fur trimming, afraid that to let North see his face.

"I meant what I said." North told him. "We should not tell others about this. Not yet." He added quickly. "But I meant what I said about other thing. I can be your friend, Pitch." He hooks his thumb under Pitch's chin and lifts his face. "I can be your family."

The Boogeyman's entire face brightened. "You mean that?" he sounded astonished. "That wasn't just the wine talking?"

North smiled sadly at him. "You have been alone for far too long, Pitch." The Guardian pressed a tender kiss on the Nightmare King's forehead. "We will talk more later. Go. Jack is waiting."

Pitch snorted and dusted off his cloak. "The conversation's not over yet, Cossack." As the Boogeyman slinked past, North smacked him hard on the rump. Pitch turned back looking at the Guardian with wide eyes.

"You should see face!" North's laugh was thunderous. "Off with you." He made a shooing motion with his hands. "Jack is waiting!"

Pitch's face flushed. "We'll be talking about _that_ too." His butt smarted where North's swat had landed and he fought the urge to rub it.

Jack Frost noticed that Pitch was in a better mood when they left but he didn't know the reason. He assumed it was because he managed to arrange this little trip and Pitch was more than happy to let the ice elf believe that. "Ok," Jack floated down and landed beside the Nightmare King. "Guess where we are."

Pitch looked around, a bored expression on his face. "If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say Burgess, Pennsylvania."

Jack almost pouted. "How'd you know?"

"Well, it is your home and you do seem obsessed with it."

Jack frowned. "Well, anyway today's the Laurel festival and I was hoping you'd be up for a little snowball fight."

Pitch felt a headache coming on. "First, I don't _do_ snowball fights. Second, it's June." He tapped the asphalt with a foot. "Meaning it's summer and therefore no snow."

The winter spirit twirled his staff and grinned. "That's why they're called 'freak snowstorms', Pitch." He shot up into the air. "Stand back and watch me work!"

Pitch sighed and leaned back against a light pole as the first flakes started falling. "You're serious?"

Jack touched down and knelt down. "As a heart attack," he said as he quickly patted the snow. "Besides, who doesn't like a snow day?"

"Anyone who left their house today in shorts and sandals." Pitch told him.

Jack frowned and studied his snowball. "Well, besides them."

"The weathermen you just completely screwed over."

Jack turned his head. "You are just determined to ruin this for me aren't you?"

Pitch actually smiled. "It's my fondest desire."

"Well, whatever." Jack tossed the snowball into the air and caught it. "How about we get this started. I'm a fair guy." He held out the newly formed snowball. "I'll even let you have the first throw."

Pitch eyed the snowball. He waved a hand. "Not interested."

"You mean you're scared?" the ice elf wiggled his eyebrows. "Afraid your dainty little fingers will get cold?"

"Not going to work, Frost."

"Ah well. It's probably for the best." Jack shrugged. "I bet you couldn't hit me anyway."

Pitch snorted. "Oh, I could hit you."

"Bet you throw like a girl."

The Nightmare King frowned. "Shut up." Pitch started to walk away. "I have better things to do than play silly games—" the snowball hit him square in the face. He spluttered and spat. Pitch glared at the winter spirit. "You must have a death wish."

Jack grinned. "Sorry. It slipped." Frost pulled another snowball from around his back. He threw it and this time it hit the Boogeyman in the stomach. "Whoops, it slipped again."

Pitch knelt down and started scooping up snow. "Fine," he bit out. "You want to play? I'll play!" he flung the snowball.

The ice elf smirked and waved his staff. A gust of wind caused the snowball to change direction and nailed Pitch in his face again. "That's cheating!" the Nightmare King protested.

Jack gave him a guileless look. "I don't know what you mean. Come on! Try and hit me!"

Pitch scrambled after Jack and threw snowball after snowball, but never managing to hit the mischievous Guardian. Pitch chased Jack into a street fair. One of the snowballs flew wide toward the Rapping Grandmas act. It hit a blue-haired granny in the side of her mouth. Her dentures flew out and skittered across the asphalt where they clattered down a drain pipe. Jack stopped and stared open-mouth.

Pitch's cheeks were stained with embarrassment. There's no way the Guardian would ever let him live this down.

To his surprise Frost started laughing and cheering. "That was awesome!" Jack crowed. "Okay! New game!" his eyes sparkled with delight. "Everyone here is a target. You got ten points for that one."

This seemed like a bad idea if the others— Pitch frowned. "Ten points? Why was that only worth ten points?"

"You hit her on accident. Duh." Jack summoned up an entire pile of snowballs. "Adults are worth fifteen. Windows are worth twenty."

"What's the point of this?" Pitch asked.

Jack looked at him like he was crazy. "The point is having fun," he said slowly. "And causing a little mischief."

"I see and what would the others say to your idea of 'mischief'?"

Jack shrugged. "As long as I'm not causing physical harm they wouldn't be able to do anything about it." he smirked. "I gotta be me. Besides, Tooth would have said if that old lady had taken better care of her teeth she wouldn't have needed dentures. Now shut up and let's play."

So they played and Pitch found that despite all his protests that he was enjoying himself. He laughed when Jack managed to knock a glass of lemonade out of young man's hand causing it to spill over his date. Jack whooped appreciatively when Pitch's snowball went through not one but _two_ car windows _and_ managed to set off the alarm.

The game was tied and they were both down to their last snowball. "How many points will I get for hitting the sow in that monster of a hat?" Pitch asked.

Jack shielded his eyes and followed the Boogeyman's line of sight and cringed. "Ugh, there should be a law." He muttered. The ice elf smirked. "I'll give you forty _if_ you manage to hit her and knock it off at the same time."

It was Pitch's turn to smirk. He'd gotten better with his throws and he was confident that he'd be able to get it. "Fine," he pulled his arm back in preparation to launch his throw. "Watch this."

"Tammy and Samantha!" a woman's voice cried. "No running!"

Pitch looked down to see two little girls running toward him eager to get to wherever it was they were going. Laughing, they ran through him. Pitch dropped the snowball and clutched at his chest. The cold shock of nausea and pain rippled through him. He had forgotten how much it hurt. The crowds were becoming denser. "Let's go get our face painted." A little boy hauled his father by the fingers. Pitch cried out when they both slid through—like he was nothing. He dropped to his knees as they swarmed around him. They passed through Pitch like he was air, completely unaware of the agony they were putting him through. Jack fought his way through the crowd and hauled Pitch up. He used a burst of wind to levitate them over the crowd and lowered them into an empty spot. The young Guardian kept a bit of distance between himself and the distraught Boogeyman. _This wasn't supposed to happen._ He thought mournfully.

He had forgotten. How could he have forgotten? Tears slid down his face. Pitch looked up and saw Jack Frost watching him. The spirit's face was full of concern and pity. It only served to fuel the Nightmare King's anger. "You!" he spat. "You brought me here on purpose!" Pitch shakily climbed to his feet.

"Pitch," Jack shook his head. "I wasn't thinking! I'm sorry."

Pitch wouldn't hear it. "Don't give me that!" he wanted to wrap his hands around the boy's neck. "You had to rub it in my face didn't you?! This whole charade was just to remind me of how far I've fallen! They can see you if you let them, but they can't see or hear me anymore!" Pitch grabbed Jack's hoodie and shook him. "You're the reason I'm like this! _You_ did this to me!" he raised a hand to strike the Guardian but a noise from behind stopped him.

A horse's shrill whinny.

Pitch whirled around. His blood ran cold and he released Jack. Frost was calling out to him, but he didn't care.

He ran.

"What do you mean 'you lost Pitch'?!" North demanded.

Jack had searched for the Boogeyman, but hadn't been able to find him on his own so he had little choice but to return to the workshop. "I told you!" he yelled. "I took him to Burgess and there was this fair with all of these kids and he—" Jack grimaced. "He freaked out on me! They walked through him and he just freaked out. And then the horse—"

"Horse?" Tooth cut in. "What horse?"

Jack looked at her. "One of those stupid horse-drawn buggy rides. It pulled up right beside him and I don't even think he realized it was just a normal horse. He just heard it and turned around long enough to get a glimpse." The ice elf paused. "It was black. I didn't mean for this to happen. I just wanted him to have some fun." He sounded so miserable that Bunny put an arm around his shoulders.

North held his head in his hands. "He can't call shadows." The Guardian said at last. "He won't be able to get back."

"I can send some of my fairies to scout." Tooth offered.

North thought about it and rejected the idea. He went for his sleigh. "It would best if I go alone." He told them.

"How are you going to find him?" Bunnymund asked.

North didn't answer because he didn't really know.

Pitch Black was lost. Sitting on the cold, damp ground in an alley the Boogeyman had never felt so miserable. He hugged his knees to his chest and shivered. "Idiot," Pitch scolded himself. "Why would a nightmare be moving about in the daylight?" he sighed at his own stupidity. "Bloody idiot. A fine mess you've gotten yourself into." How could it possibly get any worse?

It took a few seconds before Pitch heard the growl. The source of the growl was a dog.

A very, very large dog with very sharp and menacing looking teeth.

Pitch pressed his back against the brick wall trying to appear as small and nonthreatening as possible. "Easy now, Fido." The Nightmare King said nervously. "Wouldn't want to do something we'd both regret."

The dog barked, slobber oozed down its jowls. "Percival!" a little blonde girl ran up with a leash in her pink mittened hand. "Bad boy, Percival!" she chastised as she clicked the leash onto the collar.

Percival kept barking at Pitch but thankfully he didn't come any closer. Pitch could see the little girl frowning. She was so close that he could see the light dusting of freckles over her snub of a nose. The Boogeyman's heart sped up as she looked directly at him.

Could she see him? Pitch could feel the excitement bubbling inside of him.

The little girl pulled a spray bottle out her jacket and spritzed her dog in the face. Percival whimpered loudly. "Bad doggie! What has Mommy told you about barking at nothing?" she sprayed him again. "Bad, bad dog! Come on! No more walkies for you tonight."

Pitch stared open mouthed as the girl dragged her pet away. He placed his forehead on his knees. She couldn't see him after all. He scowled. _Maybe if I throw a can at the back of her fat head she'd notice me._ But he didn't. What would even be the point?

Pitch looked at the numerous shadows around him. He missed their silky coolness and the safety that they once held for him. He tried to call to them, speaking softly and sweetly at first. When that didn't work he tried begging.

One touch. That's all he needed. One shadow to wrap itself around a finger, to let him know that everything wasn't as bad as he believed it to be.

Nothing happened, of course. The shadows stayed limp and unresponsive and Pitch sank deeper into his depression.

Pitch hadn't known that he dozed off until he felt a small hand rubbing the top of his head. Looking up he saw the bright, smiling face of the Sandman. "Why are you here?" Pitch frowned.

An image of North in his sleigh, a pair of eyes, and Pitch floated above the dream Guardian's head.

Pitch smiled despite himself. So, North was looking for him? "Stupid oaf." He whispered fondly.

A question mark formed over Sandman's head. "Never mind." Pitch got to his feet. "I'm tired and I want to go home." He paused as what he said sank in. Home. Did he really consider North's to be his home now?

He didn't get a chance to dwell much on it because North's sleigh landed with noisy clatter. The reindeer snorted and pawed at the ground. "Pitch!" North jumped out of the sleigh and ran to Pitch. He yanked the Boogeyman up into a bear hug. "You are alright?" he questioned. North's hands moved over Pitch searching for injuries. "You are unhurt?"

Pitch blushed at the attention. "Yes," he muttered. "I'm fine."

North sighed with relief and pulled the Nightmare King into another hug. "Was worried," the Guardian said into Pitch's ear. "You will be coming back to shop now, yes?"

"Yes," Pitch smiled against North's shoulder.

Sandman floated next to them. He leaned in close to look them both in the eyes. Three question marks floated up and the little man arched a brow.

Pitch scowled and moved away from North. "It's nothing." He told the Guardian of dreams. "He was just worried about me."

"Yes, yes," North said quickly. "Come! We should be heading back. It has been a long day." He placed a hand on Pitch's arm and smiled. Pitch smiled back.

And if Sandy noticed that North's hand lingered a bit too long or if he noticed the warmth behind the Nightmare King's smile, he was good enough not to mention it.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few months were uneventful. Pitch had managed to fall into a routine and by October everyone was used to having the Boogeyman around. Even the Baby Tooths didn't shriek with fright at him anymore, but they still weren't very keen on spending too much time around the Boogeyman. The yetis and elves had been on their toes for two weeks after their little trick was discovered, but relaxed after week three had passed and there was still no retaliation on Pitch's part.

Unfortunately, on week four Pitch attacked.

Pitch had waited until North was out visiting Bunny's Warren to drug a batch of eggnog that he the "accidentally" left out where the elves and yetis could find it. Where did he get the drugs? He'd never tell…

The yetis woke the next day with randomly shaved off patches of fur. The elves found themselves hanging from rope tied to light fixtures and there was nothing they could do about it. Sure, they complained to North, but he just arched a brow and looked pointedly in the direction of the chore board and commented that Pitch could have done a lot worse before leaving to stop Jack from using his staff to bat at the elves like they were piñatas.

Tooth had decided that the best way to show her openness to the idea of befriending Pitch was by leaving tooth care products in his bedroom. Pitch didn't throw them away, not because he's afraid of hurting her feelings, but because he's a little intimidated by the bird woman. After all, she _had_ punched him so hard that she knocked out one of his teeth. Manny's light had healed that injury along with the others, but that wasn't the point.

The Sandman decided that the fact that Pitch had stopped snapping at him and slamming doors in his face, meant that they were BFF's and when he was around the workshop, the little man took to checking in on Pitch whenever he could. It was sweet and infuriating. Mostly infuriating.

Pitch and Bunnymund had established a relationship of sorts. The Easter Bunny wasn't one to simply let go of grudges he held for those who ruined his holiday (Blizzard of '68, anyone?), but he realized that if the Nightmare King was going to be sticking around then they would have to get along. Pitch for the most part was civil with the Pooka, but he wasn't above teasing him whenever he caught Aster looking longingly after a certain white-haired cyromancer.

Speaking of Jack Frost, the ice elf had been so beside himself with guilt over what happened in Burgess that Pitch couldn't help feeling sorry for him. He told the young Guardian that it was all water under the bridge.

North had been so proud of his willingness to forgive.

He probably wouldn't have been so proud if he had known what Pitch had been planning to do to the elves and yetis.

And North, sweet loveable North. The Guardian had been working non-stop now that it was getting closer to Christmas. As promised, he was the only one to put the chores in Pitch's bowl. Pitch didn't gripe about them so much, mostly because once he was done he always made his way up to North's office. North and Pitch wouldn't talk long—long enough to see how the other's work was coming along—before the Guardian of Wonder pushed Pitch against the door and started to kiss him. They hadn't had sex yet, but Pitch knew that North was working up to it. Man could not survive on handjobs alone.

For the first time, even when all of the annoyances were taken into account, Pitch discovered that he was content and—dare he say it—_happy_. Truthfully, he would have liked the full use of his powers, but there were times he barely gave them a thought.

North sighed and threaded his fingers through Pitch's hair. They were lying in Pitch's bed. North wore only his loose legged trousers; his boots, coat, and red pansky were in the corner next to Pitch's neatly folded trousers and cloak. The naked Boogeyman was playfully stroking the gift-giver's white chest hair and looked up. "What's wrong?" he inquired.

"Christmas will be here soon." He commented.

"You still have a month and a half." Pitch reminded him. "Besides, the yetis are practically finished despite you making some of them redo their work." He may not have understood Yettish but he was pretty sure that most of those growls and grunts were probably mostly profanity.

North's hand moved from Pitch's hair and down his back. "Is not that," The work roughened hand slid its way down to swell of the Nightmare King's buttocks. "Usually I throw parties for Christmas and New Year's. This is year you will be here…" he trailed off.

Pitch frowned. So that's what this was about. "You're afraid of the others seeing me?" he tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"_Nyet_. I am afraid that you won't feel comfortable." North kissed the top of Pitch's head. "You would be surrounded by people who may not like you."

Pitch was stunned. "You're trying to protect me?" An unfamiliar feeling of warmth filled his chest.

North looked surprised at Pitch's surprise. "Should I not? Other spirits might react badly to seeing you."

The Boogeyman moved to straddle North. He smiled down at the Guardian. "So sweet," Pitch cooed. He rubbed back against North's bulge. "So very sweet."

North shuddered. "We—_mnh!_—we should be talking about this, yes? Very serious."

"Oh, I know." Pitch moved off of the other man and slid down beneath the covers. He positioned himself between North's legs so that he could rest his upper half against the Guardian's belly. He made it appoint to avoid the tent. "I don't care if a few spirits turn their noses up at me. Why should I? I've earned my place here. I know what the alternative could have been." Pitch reached for the waistband of North's trousers and tugged them down. North's swollen cock sprang free. "I know I should be annoyed that you consider me to be some damsel in need of protection, but it's so flattering that you were worried." The Boogeyman licked his lips. "Let me reward you."

"Pitch?" North tried to see what the Nightmare King was doing. He inhaled sharply through clenched teeth as something wet and deliciously warm trailed along the underside of his cock. "Ah! Damn it, Pitch!"

To say that Pitch was good at sucking cock would be like saying that Michelangelo was good at doodling. Pitch didn't just suck on cocks. He made it an act of worship. The Boogeyman kissed and caressed North's member, rubbing his cheek against it like an overgrown cat. Pitch placed gentle open-mouth kisses on the purple crown before taking North deep into his mouth. Pitch moaned lustily, enjoying the warmth and weight against his tongue. He relished the fluttering feeling of excitement he got when his airway was slightly blocked by North's length. The room was filled with little noises. The Nightmare King's moans and whimpers were like music to North's ears. The Guardian's hips bucked, trying to shove himself deeper into Pitch's mouth. Pitch had to place his hands on the Guardian's hips to still the motion, lest North accidentally brush against his teeth and spoil it for them both. North took hold on Pitch's hair, giving it a bruising pull as he shoved himself deep into the Boogeyman's throat. "More. Yes. Like that." North commanded and closed his eyes as he lost himself in the feeling. Pitch's hand moved to cup the Guardian's balls. He rolled them in his palm, used his fingertip to stroke that special area between North's sac and his ass.

North didn't last long after that. With a heavily accented moan of Pitch's name he spent himself in the Boogeyman's mouth. Pitch drank it down greedily. Satisfied, the Nightmare King sat back, daintily wiped his mouth with his forefinger and thumb, and assessed his handiwork. North had fallen back against his pillow, his hairy chest heaving with exertion. Pitch smiled and moved closer. He tapped North twice on the cheek. "Wake up." The Boogeyman said quietly. "You can't fall asleep, North. You've got more toys to make."

The Guardian made a noise of complaint as he lifted himself out of bed. "You're right. You're right." He muttered.

Pitch watched fondly as North got dressed. "Who comes to your parties?" he asked as the Guardian tugged on his boots.

"I send out invitations." North replied. "Whoever chooses to come comes."

Pitch turned onto his stomach and rested his chin on his arms. "I never received an invite."

North gave him an incredulous look over his shoulder. "You had been making it quite clear that we were your enemies. And if I had sent you an invitation would you have even come?"

Pitch thought about. "Probably not." He admitted. "But it's the thought that counts."

North rolled his eyes. "I will see you downstairs."

"Will there be a gift exchange?" Pitch suddenly blurted.

North had had his hand on the doorknob. "Yes," he said carefully. "I have yours already. We exchange gifts on the day of party."

The Nightmare King fiddled with a stray thread on his blanket. "I didn't get you anything." He admitted in an almost sulky tone. _I'm not able to get you anything_, was left unsaid but North understood anyway.

"Your being there will be enough." North smiled.

Pitch looked at him dubiously. Then he smiled. "Very well."

_Christmas Eve_

"Hurry it up!" North ordered. He placed a sack of snow globes into the sleigh. The yetis growled and grunted as they shoved the presents into his sack. The reindeer pawed impatiently at the ground and tossed their heads. Pitch sat back watching the preparations. Jack Frost was sitting on the sleigh's back trying to needle North into letting him tag along.

"Why would you want to come?" North asked in an exasperated tone.

Jack shrugged. "Maybe I wanna see how the master works?" he grinned. "Maybe I wanna see if by helping I can get on the Nice list next year."

"You would have been on list this year if not for incident in Texas."

Jack swallowed a giggle. Ah, Texas. He'd forgotten about that. "I don't see what the problem was. You should have seen how delighted those kids were when they saw snow! All those happy faces."

"Jack," North closed his eyes and tried to be patient. "They weren't prepared. There were accidents."

"Little ones! Nobody was hurt."

Nicholas St. North sighed heavily. "Not the point."

"Please, North!" Jack begged. "Just this once! I really like the sleigh."

This time Pitch rolled his eyes. If there was one way to appeal to the gift giver it was by praising his ride.

North closed his eyes again. Pitch smirked and looked at Jack. The ice elf glanced at the Boogeyman and flashed him a triumphant grin. They both knew that Santa was going to break.

"Fine!" North boomed. "Get in sleigh. Is everything ready?" he asked a Yeti. The creature gave him a thumbs up and a nod. The Guardian looked over at Pitch. A look of warmth passed over his face. Pitch smiled back and gave him a tiny wave. Jack jumped into his seat and the moment passed. "Wish me luck!" North grinned. He snapped the reins and the sleigh pulled away.

Once they were gone, Pitch sighed. There were so many things to do in preparation of the party. North hadn't given him a specific task so went to Phil and asked if there was anything to do. The yeti pointed him to the center of the workshop where the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny were helping to wrap presents. Pitch groaned inwardly. "Fine." He muttered. "Oh and Phil, the fur grew back in quite nicely." The Boogeyman smiled over his shoulder.

Phil growled and instinctively reached for the back of his head where Pitch had shaved a circle into his scalp's fur.

Pitch settled down between Tooth and Bunny. The fairy queen looked surprised to see him. "I was told I should help you." Pitch explained.

Toothiana smiled nervously. Her mini fairies had already moved to the opposite end of the room far from the Nightmare King. "Well, I'm almost done wrapping Jack's present, but you can help Bunny with Sandy's." she leaned in to whisper, "His paws aren't good with tape."

"I heard that." Bunnymund muttered. He was trying to slowly free his fur from the tape dispenser.

Tooth's feathers fluffed with embarrassment. "Oh, Bunny," she smiled. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"I'll have you know that I can paint a detailed nature scene on each shell of my googies without any problem—"

"Yes, Bunny. Of course but," Tooth tried to interject.

"I'm talkin' intricate details! With tiny trees, blades of grass, and properly shaded flowers—"

Toothiana was starting to regret saying anything. "Yes, I—"

"So I think I can manage to wrap a damned present!" Bunny huffed. He shook his paw trying to make the tape fall of his fur. "Just," he grunted. "Just give me a second."

"Oh for the love of—" Pitch yanked it off. "There."

Bunnymund glared at him. "Whatever." The Pooka muttered. He shoved a box and some green wrapping paper at the Boogeyman. "Well? Get to it."

Pitch examined the items. "I was actually expecting you to say 'hop to it'." he commented.

"Don't make me kick you in the teeth, you drango."

Tooth smiled at Pitch as he started wrapping the box containing the Sandman's present. The Nightmare King wrapped it effortlessly. "You're really good at that." She told him.

"Yes," Pitch didn't look up as he applied the last of the tape. "I had plenty of practice wrapping birthday gifts for—" he stopped. Bunnymund and Tooth looked at him curiously. Pitch averted their gaze. "It's not important." He said softly. "Not anymore."

Tooth opened her mouth to ask more questions but a look from Bunny made her change her mind. "Are you coming to the party tomorrow?"

"Yes." Pitch said, glad for the change of subject. "North expects me to be there." He pushed the box aside. "Can't say I'm looking forward to it."

"But it'll be so much fun!" Tooth bounced excitedly.

"Depends on your definition of fun." Bunnymund and Pitch muttered at the same time. They looked at one another and blinked. Bunnymund shrugged. He reached into his bag and pulled out an egg and started painting. "I'd have more fun if North didn't insist on inviting that twat of a groundhog."

"Oh, Bunnymund." Tooth released a long-suffering sigh. "You have to promise not to get into a fight this year."

"Hey!" Bunny almost slammed his egg down. "He started it not me! So you should be sayin' that to him!"

Pitch sat back and watched the two Guardians argue with barely concealed amusement. He heard a jingle and looked down to see one of the elves smiling up at him. "What do you want?" Pitch sneered.

The elf babbled in its squeaky tongue and gestured upwards. Pitch arched a brow and tilted his head back to see what the elf was pointing at.

Mistletoe. _Damn it._

Bunnymund and Toothiana had stopped arguing to watch the exchange. It was their turn to look amused. "There was a reason we weren't sitting there." The Tooth Fairy giggled.

Pitch frowned deeply and turned his attention back to the elf. He leaned in close and smiled brightly. "Try it and I'll wring your neck and bury your runty little body out in the snow." He told the elf in a cheery voice.

The elf shrieked and fled. Bunny shook his head. With a sigh, he returned to his egg. "It's amazing you don't have more friends." The Pooka commented with a roll his eyes.

"Yes, it's one of life's great mysteries." The Boogieman returned, dryly. He watched as Tooth placed a big red bow on Jack Frost's present. "Doesn't it defeat the purpose of putting Frost on the Naughty List if you're just going to give him something anyway?"

"Oh, we always get Jack a present." Toothiana smiled. "He tries to get on the Nice List, but never quite makes it."

"Yes, a blizzard in the middle of Texas will do that." Pitch replied.

That got a snort of laughter from Aster. Tooth tossed him a disapproving look. "Wha?" Bunny looked innocent. "Pitch has a point."

Toothiana huffed and her feathers fluffed out. "The both of you are just horrible." She muttered, but they could see the corner of her mouth twitch with a smile. Suddenly she got a faraway expression on her face. "Oh my moon and stars!" Tooth let out an excited squeal. "I'll be back!" she and her helpers flew off.

Pitch looked at Bunny for an explanation. "Children don't stop losing teeth just cause it's Christmas." Bunnymund told him.

They did the remainder of the presents in silence. Bunny insisted that he would do the wrapping if Pitch handled the tape. "So," Aster finally said. "You're coming to the party?"

"I did say I was."

"Why?"

"North expects it."

Bunny snorted. "Yeah he does like makin' a big to-do about his holiday." He looked at Pitch. "You think you're gonna be alright?"

"Why Bunnymund," Pitch feigned surprise. "If I didn't know better I would say that that sounds like concern coming from you."

The Pooka's nose twitched irritably. "Never mind." He scowled. "Forget I said anything."

The Boogeyman grinned. He looked around. "Where's the Sandman?"

"North has him out putting ankle-biters to bed early. Can't risk them seeing him work, after all."

"Ah."

They set back to work. When they'd finished, Pitch glanced over at the large grandfather clock in the corner. North wouldn't be home for a while. "Is there anything else I could be doing?" he murmured.

Bunny yawned and stretched. "Probably." He shrugged. "As for me I'm heading back to my Warren." He hopped out. "Oh and Pitch?"

"Yes?"

Bunny gave the Boogeyman a salute. "See you at the party."

Pitch almost smiled at that. "Yes, I'll see you there."

_Christmas Day_

"Welcome!" North spread his arms. "To Annual Christmas Party!" he shook the hands of each spirit that entered. "Glad you could make it. Lady Summer and Lady Spring! So glad to see you." He hugged the two nature spirits. "You look lovely as usual."

Pitch watched as North greeted each and every guest. The party was in full swing. The various spirits mingled and chatted while the elves and yetis served food and drinks and played music.

Jack Frost sidled up next to him. "Why are you hanging back here?" the ice elf inquired. "Go on."

Pitch sipped on his glass of eggnog. "I'll go when I'm good and ready."

"You're not scared, are you?"

"Oh yes." Pitch drawled sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. "All that tinsel and lights has me positively terrified."

Jack snorted. "I meant _them_." He pointed his staff at the crowds.

Pitch frowned then shrugged lazily. "As if I care about them," and to prove his point he left the corner and made his way through the room.

He did well at first, keeping his head high and ignoring the looks of distaste that were thrown his way, but he hadn't even made it half way before it started to bother him.

Pitch could hear their hissed conversations.

"What's _he_ doing here?"

"Walking around like he actually belongs—"

_I need more eggnog._ Pitch decided and with an abrupt spin he went to seek out the elf with the drink tray.

He easily found the elf. The other guests had swiftly parted when he came near, as if by being close to the Boogeyman they could be contaminated by him. Pitch took refuge in another corner. He couldn't see North anymore and Pitch desperately wanted to seek out the Guardian for comfort.

"Pitch!" he heard Tooth's voice over the music. The Tooth Fairy flittered toward him with a bright smile. "What are you doing over here?" she asked.

Pitch scrambled for an answer. "I'm not used to such festivities." It wasn't a total lie. He'd never been invited to parties before. "I believe I might retire early."

The Boogeyman made to go to his room, but the Fairy Queen grasped his arm. "Oh don't do that." She smiled at him. "You've worked so hard." Tooth gave him a pat on the arm. "Why not reward yourself?"

Pitch hesitated. The fairy's genuine concern actually made him uncomfortable. As did her surprisingly iron grip on his arm. How could he leave now? "Perhaps I can stand it for a bit longer." The Nightmare King smiled weakly.

Toothiana let out a happy peal of laughter. She took Pitch by the hand was prepared to lead him back toward the rest of the party when Lady Spring and her sister Summer moved into her path. Tooth let Pitch's hand fall. "How are you two?" she greeted the nature spirits.

Spring was the eldest of the Sisters of the Seasons. She wore pastel pink robes with violets in her long and curly blonde tresses. "We're well, Queen Toothiana." Her voice was light and airy. "We just wish that Autumn and Winter could be here as well."

Summer nodded. She wore robes of cerulean blue and had roses in her chestnut brown hair. "Winter's still working, you know." Summer sighed. "And Autumn is still resting, bless her heart."

Tooth nodded. Her head feathers poofed as she realized that Pitch wasn't being included in the conversation. "Oh! You remember Pitch don't you?" she pulled the Boogeyman forward.

The sisters didn't so much as look at him. In fact, they continued talking as if there hadn't been an interruption. "Autumn always was the most lethargic of us." Spring commented. She angled her body away from Pitch, turning so that all the Boogeyman could see was her back. "You would think it would be Summer here who was the lazy one."

Mirroring her sister, Summer turned her back to Pitch and gave her full attention to Tooth. "That's not fair," she whined. "Why must you say such things?"

"Well, they are called the lazy days of summer, dear." Spring teased.

Tooth was taken aback by the sisters' rudeness. They were acting like Pitch wasn't even there! The Boogeyman just smiled and gave her a one-shouldered shrug. He slid away.

Tooth felt flustered. She wasn't used to being put into these sorts of situations. Her mini-fairies seemed to sense her agitation and peeped loudly. Her feathers fluffed in agitation and Tooth narrowed her eyes at the sisters. "Excuse me," she said in an icy tone that no one knew she possessed. "I have to find North." She brushed pass Spring and Summer.

Jack had gone to find a certain Pooka after the Boogeyman had left. He smiled brightly at the spirits as he made his way through them. They smiled back at the newest Guardian and greeted him warmly. It was a little overwhelming.

He found Bunnymund over by the refreshment table, eyeing an hor d'oeuvre dubiously. "Having fun?" he asked the Pooka.

The Easter Bunny rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah. Loads of fun." He popped the treat into his mouth and chewed. "Whatdayawant, Snowflake?"

Jack shrugged. "Just bored." He said. "North knows how to throw a party."

"Yeah, he loves his little soirees." Bunny's nose twitched as he caught scent of something that set him on edge. "Oh no." he moaned. "No. No. No."

Jack was immediately on his guard. "What? What is it?" he demanded.

"It's _him_!"

A 5'5 rotund marmot waddled up to the table. He was wearing an olive green silk vest with a golden chained pocket watch. His brown fur was streaked with gray around his beady black eyes and a pair of round, gold-rimmed spectacles perched on the end of his nose completed his ensemble. He removed his glasses and primly wiped them on a silk handkerchief.

If looks could kill Bunnymund would have eviscerated the other spirit by now. "Groundhog." Aster spat the name.

The Groundhog tossed the Pooka a look of cool disdain. "Bunnymund." He turned his gaze to Jack Frost. "Frost!" The groundhog's nostril's flared. "You have some nerve!"

Jack seemed taken aback by the marmot's anger. "What did I do to you?"

"You mean besides making a mockery of my profession?" Groundhog scowled. He lumbered forward and jabbed a claw at the ice elf's chest. "When I say spring is here then it means that spring is here! And yet you," he jabbed Jack again. "Insist on ruining my work with your little snowflakes!"

Bunnymund took Jack by the arm and pulled him back behind him. "Oi!" the Pooka snarled. "You're one to talk, ya overgrown land beaver! How many of my Easters have ya spoilt with your barmy predictions?  
Groundhog sniffed. "I don't see why that's a problem. You should have the good sense to prepare ahead of time for my predictions. Besides," he placed his spectacles back onto his nose. "Why are you so keen on protecting him? He's ruined more of your Easters than I have."

Bunny stepped in front of the ice elf to protectively shield him from Groundhog's glare. "None of your ruddy business, beaver!" the Pooka frowned. "This is between you and me."

"Oh please." The groundhog chuckled. "I've no time for your blustering. How about you hop back to your little Warren and sulk like you always do?" Groundhog turned. "Stupid egg-pushing troglodyte. I would expect this sort of behavior from that feral little ice-flinger, but not from you."

"You think I'm going to stand here and let ya badmouth my best mate?" Bunny's fur fluffed.

Jack looked uncomfortable. "Bunny, it's fine." He placed a hand on the Pooka's shoulder. "Just ignore him."

"No! He can't just insult a Guardian and get away with it!" He took a step forward.

Groundhog groaned dramatically. "Again with your little club." He shook his head.  
"That was impressive maybe four centuries ago, but now it's just sad. Besides, your choice of members leaves something to be desired." He looked pointedly at Jack.

"Alright," Bunny shoved the groundhog. "That's it, ya bleeder! I've had about enough of this." He took off his bandolier and sat it down on the floor. "You've had this ass-kicking coming for over three hundred years!"

It was evident that Pitch was in hell. He was sitting in a comfy overstuffed chair on the right side of the main room. The spirits had given him a wide berth. They were still talking about him, he could tell, but none of them were coming too close.

Pitch found comfort in his corner after overhearing a conversation between Spring and Turkey Tom, the spirit of Thanksgiving. The Boogeyman had never liked Turkey Tom. The pot-bellied spirit was pretty full of himself for someone whose holiday was the precursor to the oppression of an indigenous people.

"I can't believe North has that viper walking free." Turkey Tom commented. Dressed like a caricature of a Pilgrim, the Thanksgiving spirit was enjoying some heavily spiked punch.

Spring snorted. "The Guardians are too forgiving. I would have left him down in that hole." She bit the head off a gingerbread man. "Let the nightmares kill him."

Pitch had felt his blood chill.

Turkey Tom had laughed. "Such coldness from such a warm season!" he took another sip of his punch. "Besides you know why they couldn't do that…"

He hadn't stayed after that. Pitch had sat down in the chair with his fifth glass of eggnog. It was sad that it wasn't alcoholic, but North couldn't risk Baby New Year getting any of it like last year.

"Well, well, well. Do my eyes deceive me? Pitch Black!"

Pitch's eyes widened. That voice. He hadn't heard that voice in centuries. "Samhain?"

Samhain, the Halloween King sat down on the arm of the chair and grinned at the Boogeyman. Pitch had always found Sam's strangely attractive with his white-skinned, red-orange eyes and shoulder length black hair under his big floppy brown hat. A fringe of that midnight black hair always hung in his face, styled so that Sam's glowing eyes peered through the strands. Tall and lanky, Sam was dressed in brown leggings and an extra-large brown coat. "I felt your presence." The Halloween Spirit brushed the back of his hand against Pitch's cheek. "I missed you, baby."

"I'm not your baby." Pitch hissed and jerked away. "You know that." He stared into his glass. "You left."

Sam groaned dramatically. "Well, yeah. Pitchy-Witchy. My Dark Dumpling. Baby, you gotta get over that. Besides, I have a proposal to make.

Pitch stood and started walking off. "Whatever is I don't care to hear it."

"Aw c'mon, Pitchy baby!" Samhain followed him. "Hear me out. Remember all the fun we used to have?" he grabbed Pitch's hands. "Haunted houses? Making houses creak when the kiddies were watching horror movies? Remember how we made those kids in the tree house wet themselves while they were watching Nightmare on Elm Street?"

The Boogeyman almost smiled at the memory. The smell of piss and tears and the image of three weeping boys clamoring down their little ladder and running for their mommies and daddies; those were the days. Pitch tried to shake Sam off. "I don't care about that anymore. Sam. Now excuse me—what are you doing?"

Pitch watched with wide eyes as Sam knelt down on one knee. _Oh god._

"Pitch Black," Sam held out his hand. "I've known you for many years and I was saddened to hear of your disappointing situation. No one would wish that on their worst enemies."

_Oh god._

"That's why when I felt your return I immediately came looking for you. Well," Sam gave a sheepish grin. "I had some stuff to do so I didn't come _right_ away. I mean there was the party in Tampa and then I was in Amsterdam for few months." He chuckled. "That was pretty wild. Anyhoo! Pitch, I want—"

_Oh god!_

"You to move in with me."

_Huh?_ Pitch blinked. "What?"

The Halloween Spirit smiled. "You don't have to live with North and his furry losers."

A yeti growled. Sam waved a hand. "No offense, Bigfoot."

Pitch looked at the other spirits. Some were watching and whispering. He could feel a headache coming on. "You can't be serious."

"Oh I'm dead serious, baby!" Sam grinned up at him. "You don't have to be here. You can be with me. It can be like old times. What goes better with Halloween than a little fear?"

Once upon a time this would have been a dream come true. There was no denying that, but now…

"No." Pitch said softly.

Sam's smile faltered. "No?" he got to his feet. "What do you mean no?"

Pitch shrugged helplessly. "It's a generous and surprising offer, Sam but I think I'll pass. I owe it to the Guardians." _To North_, he added silently. "They saved me from being trapped down there with the Nightmares."

The skin around Sam's hairline started to bubble. They flaked away and the ends started curling. That only happened when he was extremely agitated. "Saved you?" he practically yelled. "_They_ put you there in the first place!"

Pitch winced. There was a crowd forming. "Even so," he stood. "They gave me a second chance which I won't squander."

"You can't be happy here!"

The Boogeyman shrugged again. "Not always, but I'm learning to be."

Sam's eyes blazed and he looked beside himself with anger. The Halloween King reached up and took hold of his fraying skin and gave it a sharp tug. The skin released with wet, sucking noise and he tossed it to the floor. Sam's new face while reptilian in appearance with slit nostrils and fangs still had the same bone-white color. "How can you be happy here?" Sam demanded. "I saw you! I watched you! You were cleaning and dusting a-and—and," he gestured wildly. "Shoveling _reindeer shit_!"

Pitch lowered his eyes. He hadn't known Sam had been hanging around North's palace and the Boogeyman wondered just how much he'd seen.

_No_, Pitch pushed the thought away. _If Sam had seen us being intimate he'd have said something._ The Halloween Spirit was a bit of an attention whore and if he witnessed something that juicy he'd share it in an instant.

"I'm trying to save you!" Sam continued ranting. "From the people who made you into a joke and fucking _neutered_ you!" he looked accusingly at the bracelets. "Oh, but maybe you're happy being North's little bitch."

Pitch bristled at the insult. "North treats me with respect." He said. "Something _you_ could never be bothered to do!"

"Oh please!" Sam let out a bark of laughter. "How could I respect you when you were always whining? 'Sam, I want a family'. 'I want to be believed in'. It was the same thing over and over again. Day in and day _bloody_ out!" the Halloween King glared. "I was sick of it."

"I wanted to be _believed_ in." Pitch snarled. "What's wrong with that?"  
"_Everything_!" Sam roared. He fixed Pitch with a hard stare. "You think children know that I exist? You think they've ever heard of me? No! But do I let it bother me? Hell no! You know why?" Sam picked up Pitch's half-finished glass of eggnog. He poured it onto the floor and then smashed the glass. He grabbed a glass of punch out of Spring's hands and emptied it too. "Because I know that every brat who begs mommy and daddy for the latest Batman costume and runs around on a sugar-high is worshipping at the altar of Old Sammy!" he smashed the glass. "They are worshipping _me_!"

"What are you doing?" Pitch demanded. "Stop it! You're making a mess!"

"And guess who has to clean it up!" Sam danced over to the refreshment table and grabbed a platter of cookies. He danced back and poured them all on the floor. "North's new little maid." Sam brought his foot down and crushed the cookies, grinding them into the mess of eggnog and punch and broken glass. "The Guardians' new little bitch boy: Pitch Black the Nightmare King!" Sam put his hands on his hips and gave the Boogeyman a malicious smile. "Now clean up this goddamned mess!"

Groundhog gaped at Bunnymund. "I beg your pardon?" he spluttered. "I will not be fighting like some common hoodlum!"

"Oh, you'll fight if ya know what's good for ya!" Bunny growled.

"Really, Aster." Groundhog took off his glasses and wiped them. "Is there really a need for such—" the groundhog was cut off by the Pooka's blow to his nose.

"C'mon!" the Easter Bunny danced around. "Show me what ya got, ya Easter-ruining gopher!"

"Gopher?!" the Groundhog roared. He took off his glasses and set them aside. "I, my good sir, am a groundhog!" he raised his paws. "Fisticuffs it is, then! Have at you!"

The fight was put on hold as a large hand clamped down on the scruffs of their necks. "What is this?" North demanded. He pulled the two creatures apart. "Bunny what have I said about fighting?"

"He started it!"

"I most certainly did not you, carrot guzzling lunatic!"

North groaned and rolled his eyes heavenward. "Thank you for coming to get me, Jack."

"Jack?" Bunnymund looked at the ice elf in surprise. "Why would you do that?" the Pooka sounded hurt.

Jack sighed. "You promised no fighting this year." He smiled. "Besides, you looked ready to trash the place and I live here too."

Bunny smiled weakly. "M'sorry, North." He muttered.

"Aren't you going to apologize to me?" Groundhog demanded because he couldn't leave well enough alone.

Bunny's ears twitched. "Why would I apologize to you, ya bloody galah!"

"Do you see this?" Groundhog said indignantly. "This is how he treats your guests!"

"It's how I treat you, ya wanker!"

"Really now," Groundhog's nose twitched. "All this because I see my shadow?"

"I'm surprised you can see your toes let alone your shadow, ya ruddy orca!" Bunny tried to kick him but North jerked him back.

"Bunny!" North scolded. "This is party! No place for fighting!"

The yeti who had been supervising the refreshment table lumbered up to North and started yammering frantically. The Guardian of Wonder's eyes widened. "What?"

Pitch watched Sam's temper tantrum with an even expression. There had been only a few spirits watching but now it seemed like over half the room was observing this debacle. "You're acting like a fool." He told his former lover.

Sam tapped his foot on the floor. "Maybe I don't deal well with certain ungrateful shits embarrassing me in front of a group."

"I never asked you to make your declaration in front of everyone." The Boogeyman frowned. "You wanted the attention and you got it. Congratulations."

Samhain scowled. His forehead's skin was bubbling and he fought to calm himself. "I was inviting you out of the goodness of my heart! I mean remember all the good times we had?"

"As I remember," Pitch commented. "The good times were mediocre at best."

A flush spread over Sam's face. "You fucking—!ˮ the Halloween took a breath. "You know what? Fine. Be the Guardian's little servant. It's what you deserve." The spirit smiled, displaying his sharp white teeth. "You know I saw you while you were trapped down in your lair?" he chuckled at Pitch's shocked expression. "That's right. I saw the nightmares eating on you, heard your pathetic begging and crying, and you know what I did? I laughed."

The Boogeyman felt the room spin. He'd been trapped in unending pain and misery and the one being he thought that cared for him hadn't even seen fit to save him. Not only that, Sam had watched his suffering and been amused by it. "You saw me suffering and you…laughed?"

Sam took off his hat and flicked off a piece of lint. "Well, it's a natural response to seeing something that I find amusing."

"How was my being in pain amusing?" Pitch demanded.

"How couldn't it be?" Sam replaced his hat. "Your own creations turning on you and feeding on you; it was so pathetically funny."

The Nightmare King didn't know what to say. He took a deep, steadying breath. This was the man he had fooled himself into believing he loved. Pitch saw Samhain for the bastard he truly was. "Goodbye, Sam." He turned. "I hope never to see you again."

Sam snarled and grabbed Pitch's arm. He viciously squeezed it, digging his nails into the Boogeyman's flesh. "You're not going anywhere! You got a job to do, Pitchy. So I suggest you get to it."

"Let go of me." Pitch seethed. "Or I'll—ˮ

Sam's grip tightened. "Or you'll what? In case you've forgotten you've been depowered." He smiled at the bracelets and leaned in close to Pitch's ear. "And you think anyone here is going to help you?" the Halloween King whispered. "You're surrounded by people who hate you. And the Guardians? The Guardians aren't too fond of you either. What? You think they're your friends now? Ha! Don't make me laugh! They only saved you because they pitied you. Not that I blame them. You are so pathetic. Probably would have been better if you had died down there. Better dead than this sad and broken existence you're living now." Sam stopped when he felt a large hand clamp onto his shoulder. He turned. "Oh! North!" he grinned. "Don't mind me. I'm just helping you break in your new maid—ˮ

North slammed his fist into Samhain's face, flooring the Halloween Spirit. Pitch was yanked down as well. The music came to dead stop and what guests hadn't been aware of what was happening turned to look. The Guardian of Wonder looked down at Sam for a moment before bending over to help Pitch to his feet.

"That fucking hurt!" Bright red blood dribbled from Sam's nostril slits and over his top lip. "What the hell was that for?"

"Get. Out." North growled.

Samhain gaped. "Are you serious?" he scrambled to his feet. "What did I do?" he glanced at Pitch. "Is it because I manhandled your servant? Sorry, buddy! I was just trying to help you out. He still hasn't learned his place yet."

North took another swing, but Sam dodged it. "Okay, okay! I know when I'm not welcomed." Sam muttered it. He sneered at Pitch. "I'll be on my way then. Enjoy your new life of scrubbing toilets and dusting ceiling fans, Pitch. But believe you me, this isn't over!" A yeti grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him toward the exit. "Hey! Hands off, fuzzy! I can walk!"

"You are alright?" North asked Pitch.

"I'm fine." The Boogeyman confirmed. "Where were you?"

North sighed loudly. "There was situation. I—ˮ his eyes went wide. "Left Bunny alone with the groundhog!" he pulled Pitch along as he ran back to where he left the Pooka and marmot.

Bunnymund had his paws around the groundhog's neck. "I'll swallow your soul!" the Pooka roared.

North hooked his arms under Bunny's arms and pulled him away. "Bunny! Stop this at once!"

Aster kicked and thrashed. "Not until I see 'im bleed!" he tried to claw Groundhog's face. "Let me go, North! I just want to make him bleed a little!"

"Ruffian!" the groundhog moaned. "Savage!" he stared forlornly at his smashed glasses. "North, I will not be attending next year's festivities if you insist on inviting hooligans like Aster and Frost!"

Jack Frost blinked. "Um, I'm not the one who was kicking your ass." He pointed out.

Groundhog's fur bristled. "He got a few lucky shots." The rodent groused.

"Yeah," Jack smiled. "About twenty from my count."

Groundhog scowled as Aster chuckled. "Laugh it up," he growled. "What should I expect from people who willingly let Pitch Black live among them?"

North's brows knitted in confusion when there were murmurs of agreement from the other spirits. The Guardian turned to look at the others. "What is this?" he demanded.

"You're too lenient." Father Time stepped forward. The elderly man had Baby New Year on his hip. "Pitch should not be allowed to wander free."

"He shouldn't be free at all!" Summer yelled. "He should be back in his hole!"

Pitch fought the urge to slide behind North's bulk. He knew that hiding would serve no purpose. "I'm hardly free." He said slowly. "The bracelets prevent me from bending the shadows to my will."

"And we're supposed to care?" Spring retorted. She pointed a finger at Pitch and looked at the others. "What he did to them he could easily do to us! You're a fool if you think we should risk that!"

Spring's words caused riled the others.

"He shouldn't be free!" Turkey Tom yelled, spilling some punch.

"Give him back to the mares!" the androgynous April Fool shouted.

Sandy had just arrived from completing his night's work and he took in the ruckus with wide eyes. The little man floated over to Pitch and put his hands protectively on the Boogeyman's shoulders.

North's face turned an angry plum color. "Enough!" the Guardian of Wonder thundered. "Pitch has earned right to be among us. Manny has given him a second chance."

The voices of dissent quieted except for one. April Showers stepped forward with her twin sister May Flowers in tow. April was a weather spirit while May was a nature spirit. Both looked like nine year olds with large blue eyes and matching blue pinafore dresses, but April's blonde hair was constantly dripping with water while May's dry locks smelled of wild flowers and sunshine. "Maybe the Man in the Moon is wrong." The little girl said softly.

North took a step forward, rage on his face. "What did you say?" his voice was dangerously quiet.

April Showers didn't seem phased by the Guardian's anger. May Flowers knelt to poke at the puddles on the floor formed from her sister's dripping hair. April Showers looked up at North with her haunting eyes. "The Man in the Moon was wrong to offer Pitch the chance of redemption," she clarified. "Beings like Pitch aren't worthy of forgiveness." April looked at Pitch. "You should have been killed as you tried to kill them."

Pitch didn't fight the urge to hide behind North now. The wet, bedraggled child's words chilled him to his core as did the murmurs of agreement.

"How dare you!" North roared. His eyes blazed as he looked over the room. "Manny is wrong? That is what you're saying? None us would be here if not for Man in Moon!" he looked down at April. "Pitch is no threat and I will not allow you to stand here and treat him with rudeness. Get out!"

His guests just stared so North raised his voice even more. "Get out!" he repeated. "Party's over! Go home!"

The spirits filed out and departed for their respective homes. North's shoulders relaxed and he collapsed into a chair as soon as the last of them were gone. "What a nightmare." He murmured. North ran a hand over his face. "Damn."

Bunny approached him. "You going to be okay, mate?" the Pooka asked with concern.

North waved a hand. "Yes, yes." He smiled, tiredly. "Take as much food as you want, my friends. I think I'll go spend time in my office."

Pitch watched North leave and counted to five before getting up to follow him. Jack followed Bunnymund to the refreshment table where the Sandman was already filling a bag with cookies and mini-sandwiches. "You missed the fun, Sandy." Jack grinned at him.

_**?**_, Sandy chimed.

"Oh nothing much," the ice elf glanced at Bunny. "Our resident Pooka almost murdered the groundhog, is all."

Sandy rolled his eyes as if to say, _well, what else is new_, before returning his attention to his food.

Bunny frowned. "He's a jerk."

"Oh I agree," Jack sat on the table. "I've just never seen you act that way."

Bunnymund scratched at his ears. "He was badmouthin' ya." He muttered.

"Hm?"

"I said he was badmouthin' ya!" Bunny sat down on his haunches.

Jack looked at the Pooka curiously. "He didn't say anything that you hadn't said already."

Aster's nose twitched. "Yeah, well, I've earned that right." His voice softened. "You've changed, Frostbite. You've done a lot of good and ya deserve credit for it."

Jack smiled. "You really meant what you said about me being your best mate?"

The Pooka averted his eyes. "Yeah," he said finally.

Sandman gave them an amused glance before floating off to grab some eggnog.

Jack smiled suddenly. "Look," he pointed up. "Mistletoe."

Bunny's fur fluffed out. "Yeah," he muttered. "Fancy that."

Jack smiled shyly at the other Guardian. "North's already mad at you for fighting." He told Bunny. "Don't want to make him even more pissed at you."

Bunny's eyes widened as it dawned on him what the ice elf was implying. Bunnymund grinned. "Well, he does take his holiday traditions seriously." The Pooka said with a nod.

Jack leaned in and let his brush against Bunny's. The Pooka's fur and whiskers tickled his face and he tried not to giggle. Bunny pressed in closer and placed a paw on Jack's arm to hold him in place.

They separated after a few minutes. Jack's tongue darted out to savor the taste of the Easter Bunny on his lips. "Merry Christmas, Bunny." The ice elf smiled.

"Merry Christmas," the Pooka returned. He couldn't keep the smile off his face as he watched the winter spirit walk off. Bunny scratched the back of his head, grinning sheepishly until he felt the overwhelming weight of someone staring. Sandman was floating by the snack table, popping chips into his mouth.

He smiled knowingly at Bunnymund.

Bunny grew agitated with the scrutiny. "Ah shut it! Who asked ya anyway?!" the Pooka snapped before hopping off.


	4. Chapter 4

Pitch knocked on the door of North's office before letting himself in. The Guardian was carving away at a block of ice and didn't even look up. "You may have lost a good number of friends after coming to my defense like that." The Boogeyman commented.

North slammed his tools onto the desk. "Don't care," he grumbled. "Ones that matter are still here." North dropped into his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I am sorry."

"For what?" the Boogeyman asked in an airy tone. "You can't control the others." Pitch slinked over to North and climbed into his lap. He caressed the side of North's bearded face and kissed him gently on the lips.

The Guardian slid his tongue into Pitch's warm and welcoming mouth. The Nightmare King moved his hands to un-tuck North's shirt from his trousers and tried to lift it off. North, eager to keep kissing, wasn't behaving. Finally, the need to breathe became too much and North had to sit back. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Pitch snorted. "I'm attempting to undress you. Arms." He lifted North's pansky off and tossed it to the floor.

North sucked in a breath when the Boogeyman reached inside his trousers and wrapped his cool hand over his member. "Why?" the Guardian asked.

Pitch looked at him, amazed at the question. "Why?" he repeated. "Because I need to do so in order to give you your Christmas present."

North closed his eyes losing himself in the feeling of the Boogeyman's slow, sensual strokes. Pitch nuzzled his face against the Guardian's chest hair. "Have you ever been with another man before?" he asked.

North didn't seem able to find his voice, but he gave a quick shake of his head.

Pitch's mouth curled into a smile. "Oh good," he said silkily. He looked fondly at the weeping slit on North's manhood. "That means you won't have any nasty habits that I'll need to break you of." He shimmied off of the Guardian's lap and knelt on the floor. Pitch rolled his eyes up to make sure North was watching.

He was.

With another coy smile, he took the Guardian slowly into his mouth, sucking gently on the head so he could taste the salty bitterness of North's seed before moving to take it all in.

North's breath hitched and he automatically moved to grasp the back of the Nightmare King's head.

Pitch gave a happy hum of approval as he set to work, but imagine his surprise when instead of pushing him down, North tried to pull him back up. He looked up at the Guardian, hurt, confusion, and questions in his gaze.

"I enjoy when you do this." North sighed. "But we need to talk."

Oh wow. That's never good.

Pitch got to his feet and sat back on the desk. "And what exactly do you wish to talk about?"

"Samhain."

_Oh for—_ Pitch slipped off the desk and climbed back into North's lap, straddling him. "Oh, let's not talk about him." The Boogeyman kissed North in hopes of distracting him.

It was a no-go. "Pitch." The Guardian's voice was firm.

The Nightmare King let out an exaggerated sigh. "Oh very well, if you _really_ wish to bring up this dreadful subject." He carded his fingers through North's beard. "What do you wish to know?"

"Was he," North paused, uncomfortable. "Was he your lover?"

"No." Pitch frowned. "Sam was just a mistake that I kept making over and over again. There was no love between us. It was just sex." He said sadly. "I wanted there to be more, but…" Pitch shrugged. "I was so infatuated with him. The first spirit to look my way in centuries and I fell head over heels for him.

"He loved how my presence on Halloween made him more powerful. Humans love being scared on Halloween with their costumes and haunted houses and movie marathons," Pitch chuckled. "Once a year we were the ultimate power couple." He sobered. "But once Halloween was over Sam would disappear. Sometimes he wouldn't come back for months on end. One time," Pitch placed his forehead on North's chest. "He was gone for an entire year."

North placed a comforting hand on the small of Pitch's back. His dislike for Samhain was quickly growing.

Pitch continued his story. "I hated being left alone. I hated that he would only come when he wanted sex and just leave after he was done with me. He was selfish. Oh, I see that now. He was so selfish and inconsiderate—both in bed and out. He insulted me, had absolutely no regard for my feelings but," he chuckled again. "I was so desperate not to be alone. The relationship was just so damn toxic, but it was better than nothing. I hadn't figured out how to make my nightmares yet and so my lair was just empty." The Boogeyman locked eyes with North, "And then I had a 'brilliant' idea." He said drily. "The next time Samhain came to me I opened myself to him." Pitch could feel the pinpricks of tears. "I offered myself to him, told him that I wanted to spend the rest of my days with him and I told him that I wouldn't even care if no one believed in me if I could just stay by his side and…and love him.

"He laughed at me, North. I opened my heart to him and made myself vulnerable and he _laughed_." Pitch's voice was hollow. Reopening the old wound was just as painful as experiencing it the first time. "He told me I was a weak fool and that he wouldn't be stuck with someone like me." Pitch examined his nails. "And then he told me of everyone else that he'd been sleeping with during our time together. Spring and her three sisters, a few nymphs during his excursions in Greece, kitsunes when he was in Japan, naiads, the April Fool, Cupid, and apparently they were all better than me because they hadn't gotten it into their heads to fall in love." Pitch snarled. He rubbed his fists into his eyes. "And he thought that I would just fall over myself to get back together with him at the drop of a hat! The arrogant pumpkin-chucking fool! Mark my words, Samhain the Halloween King would not have invited me to live with him unless it benefited him somehow.

"Anyway, I decided after Sam was gone for the final time I would devote my time less to pining after companionship and focus more on my goal of gaining believers. And well, you know the rest." Pitch folded his arms. He looked at North. "There. Satisfied?"

The Guardian gave him a small nod. "He was not worthy of you," North told him.

Pitch felt a warm sensation coil in his belly. "Oh?" he returned. "And I suppose you think that you are?"

North shrugged. "I don't know, but I would strive to be."

Pitch's eyes widened. Oh, such a sweet, sentimental, deliciously honest declaration. The Boogeyman swooped down to claim the gift-giver's lips. "Do you know why I like you so much?" Pitch grinned. "Well," he wiggled in North's lap and leered. "Besides that. I like you because of how unlike Sam you are. I know that just by me wanting to be with someone as sweet, honest, and good-natured as you, it's a sign that I'm becoming a better person." He leaned in a kissed North on the nose. "No more self-destructive relationships for me." Pitch smiled. It was beautiful thing that smile, so full of warmth and brightness that it made the Guardian's heart ache.

North grinned. "Is good to see you happy." He said. North gave Pitch a pinch on the hip. "Now, about my present." He leered.

"Mmm," Pitch rolled his hips. "Have you been a good boy?"

North tried to reach for a kiss but the Boogeyman leaned back. He growled. "Always good." North's eyes twinkled.

Pitch laughed. "I don't doubt that." He moved off of North's lap and started to undress. "Can't have this getting dirty," the Boogeyman smiled. "Again."

North watched the Nightmare King strip, slowly running his hand along his member in anticipation. "_Ti takaya krasivaya_," the Guardian whispered.

A nude Pitch straddled him, rubbing himself back against North's erection. "What does that mean?"

"Beautiful," North nuzzled Pitch's cheek. "It means I think that you are so beautiful."

Pitch turned and reached to wrap his hand around North's. He did it to hide the blush that came from the gift-giver's sincere words. "I need to stretch myself." He told North. "Do you have anything I could use as a lubricant?"

North looked around his office. He shrugged helplessly.

Pitch sighed. "It's fine." He smiled. "I imagine you'd never believe you would need any." The Boogeyman slid off of North again and moved to sit on his empty worktable. "Saliva and precum it is then." Pitch put one leg on the armrests, giving North a bird's eye view. The Boogeyman licked his palm the wrapped it around his erection. "Mm," he shivered at the touch. Pitch started running his hand along his shaft. "I'm afraid that even with this preparation—_mm_—the ride might be a little tight." The Boogeyman gave the Guardian a sensual look. "It has been a while after all."

North groaned loudly. "Why must you tease?" he asked in a strangled voice.

Pitch blinked, innocently. "I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about." He set back to work. He slipped a finger inside, working the hole and stretching it. The Boogeyman glanced at North's lap. He gleefully observed that now the gift-giver was fully erect and Pitch knew that despite the preparation he'd still be aching in the morning.

Pitch was looking so forward to that delicious ache.

"Now?" North asked.

Pitch shook his head and added a second finger. "You're going to hurt me." He licked his lips.

"Never." North growled. "I would never hurt you."

"Not that kind of hurt," Pitch smiled. "It's the good sort of pain." He shivered with anticipation. "The kind that tells me that I've truly felt you."

"I don't understand."

"Most don't," Pitch told him. "Let's just say that the discomfort is," he floundered for the correct word. "A sign of a job well done."

North still didn't understand, but the sight of the Nightmare King moaning and working a third finger inside of him was enough of a distraction. He licked his lips. "You are ready now, yes?"

Pitch didn't answer, not at first; he was so lost in the feeling. Finally, the Boogeyman opened his eyes and nodded. "Ready."

North swallowed a relieved moan. Pitch climbed on his lap once more and positioned himself above North's tip. Slowly, so very slowly, he eased himself down on it. Pitch paused, breathing heavily through his nose before continuing. When he was fully sheathed he took a few minutes to relish the feeling of fullness that he missed. "Oh, North." The Boogeyman murmured. "You have any idea how good you feel?"

The Guardian cupped the back of the Nightmare King's head and pulled him in for kiss. "If it is anything like what I feel now," North gave a throaty chuckle. "Then I would say yes."

Pitch smirked and rolled his hips. That a groan from them both. "Hold onto my hips," he whispered. "Guide me."

North gripped his hips so tightly that Pitch knew there would be bruises.

It sent a shiver of delight through him.

North bounced him up and down, spearing Pitch deep with each thrust. The Boogeyman cried out. "More!" Pitch ordered. "Give me more!"

_Bossy thing_, the Guardian of Wonder smiled. "You like giving others."

Pitch gazed into his eyes. He lifted himself up until he was almost completely off then slammed back down. "I know what I like."

North grinned. "I can tell, Pitch." The Guardian smoothed a broad hand over Pitch's ass. "Would you like to try something…different?"

Pitch didn't approve of all of this talking. He just wanted to fuck. The Boogeyman sighed. "Like what?"

"Up," North grunted.

"What?"

The Guardian gave him a smack on his left cheek. "Up, I said." His sapphire blue eyes twinkled. "Trust me."

Pitch sighed loudly letting the gift-giver know how annoyed he was by this. He pulled himself off and whimpered slightly at the loss. North hoisted himself out of his chair. He turned Pitch around, making him face his work table. The Guardian kissed his neck, dotted his shoulder with bites, and ran his hands up and down his hips. "_Ty takaya nezhnaya_." North brushed his lips against the Boogeyman's pulse.

Pitch shivered. "I have no idea what you're saying." The Nightmare King sighed. He gasped as North prodded him with his hardness. "But it sounds very sweet."

North just smiled. "Lean over desk."

Pitch arched a brow but obeyed. He closed his eyes and sighed happily as North's beard tickled his naked back. "What are you doing?"

North positioned himself at Pitch's opening and slid in with one thrust. The Guardian draped his body over the Nightmare King's back, pinning him down. He wrapped his arms around Pitch's to hold him completely in place. North's hot breath puffed against Pitch's ear. He slammed himself into the Boogeyman, over and over again.

Pitch practically screamed. He was trapped; trapped beneath North as the Guardian relentlessly pounded his ass.

North could feel the other tense. "Trust me." He whispered.

Pitch bared his teeth, frustrated. _How can I trust you?_ He wanted to scream.

Damn it, he wanted to be in control! Just this once he wanted to be in control. Sam never gave him pleasure only took his own and never listened to him, but he thought that North was different.

_He's just like Sam._ Pitch thought bitterly. _Holding me down and only caring about his enjoyment. _

No. That's a lie. North was nothing like that bastard.

Samhain would have been thrusting in and out of him like was fucking a doll.

North was rolling his hips, trying to seek that spot of pleasure and hit it with each thrust.

Sam always looked like wanted to be somewhere else during sex.

Even though he couldn't see North at the moment, Pitch knew that the Guardian had eyes only for him.

And even though North pretty much had him trapped under his bulk and his strong arms, he knew that he was safe. Pitch could feel the warmth and safety radiating from North's chest. Even the way he held him, was gentle.

North cared for him.

North cared about him.

Pitch tried to stop it, but the traitorous sob escaped him. Above him, North stilled. "Pitch?" the Guardian moved away from him. He gently pulled the Boogeyman upright. North looked terrified. "I hurt you?"

Pitch shook his head. He wiped his eyes. "You did nothing of the sort," he whispered. "You beautiful, beautiful man."

"You are upset about something." North pressed. He rubbed a thumb over Pitch's cheek, feeling the dampness. He pressed his palm against Pitch's cheek.

Pitch leaned into the touch. "Not upset." He smiled. "Happy."

North was at a loss. Pitch sighed. "Shall we continue?" he smiled again. "I really would like to give you your present."

North pouted. "I really wanted to have sex with you worktable," he admitted.

Pitch's eyes widened. "You want to have sex with me on the same worktable that your sculpt toys for your good little boys and girls?"

The Guardian's rosy cheeks turned a deep crimson.

Pitch bared his teeth in a delighted grin. "How deliciously debauched! I love it!" the Boogeyman stretched back onto the table and touched himself. "Mm! I like this side of you, North." He looked at the gift-giver and his golden eyes glittered.

North frowned. He slapped Pitch's hand away. "No more talking. We finish this."

"Ooh, I like it when you go all caveman. So dominant. So _protective_," Pitch licked his lips. "Just like at the party." He grabbed Pitch by the thighs and slid him closer to the table's edge. "This is ok?" North asked hesitantly.

The Nightmare King smiled. "It is now that I can see your eyes." _The better to remind me that you're not that arsehole, Sam._ Pitch held out his arms.

"You are sure?" North didn't want Pitch doing anything that he didn't want to do.

"North, I swear if you don't get over here and fuck my brains out I'll shave off beard!"

North's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!" he told Pitch.

The Nightmare King narrowed his eyes. "Try me, Santa."

North slammed his hands down on the desk on either side of Pitch's head. He slotted his mouth over Pitch's. Their tongues danced over one another in a battle of dominance. North pulled back and licked his lips. "Bossy thing."

Pitch grabbed a handful of that luxurious white beard and gave it a vicious tug. "And you _love_ it!"

North grinned and positioned himself at Pitch's opening. "Perhaps."

Jack laughed loudly as he flew through the sky. The North Pole's cold winds made for some excellent flying. He didn't go far instead he opted to do a few laps around North's shop. Maybe I should look in on him, the ice elf frowned. The other Guardian had been in his office since the party. North wasn't one to isolate himself. It made Jack all the more worried.

He found the window that looked into North's office and using consistent, rapid bursts of wind to keep him afloat he peered inside.

Jack tilted his head to one side…

…and then to the other.

_What exactly am I seeing here?_

When it finally dawned on him that what he was witnessing was Pitch Black lying flat on North's worktable with his arms around North's shoulders and his naked legs wrapped around North's back as the bulkier Guardian drove into him with rapid, piston-like thrusts, his jaw fell open.

_Oh my god._

North had his trousers bunched around his ankles. His ample, naked, and hairy ass was on complete display, his ball sac swung with complete abandon as he shoved his cock repeatedly into Pitch's hole.

_Oh my god._

Pitch grabbed North and hauled him closer so that they could devour each other's mouths. North flicked his tongue over Pitch's nipple and leaned back up to whisper something in the Boogeyman's ear. The Nightmare King moaned and dug his fingers deep into the Guardian of Wonder's shoulders.

"Oh my god! Ah _jeez_!" Jack clapped his hands over his eyes and dropped like a stone as the wind momentarily stopped. He managed to summon it again inches before plummeting into the snowy ground and Jack urged it to take him somewhere far away.

Bunnymund placed yet another perfectly painted egg among the others in the completed pile. Sure, he could have his flowers do it for him, but there was something to be said about getting his paws dirty.

The Pooka's ears went rigid as he picked up something or someone nosing about his Warren.

Bunny grabbed his boomerangs and charged through the brush. He skidded to a stop, almost falling over the crouched form of Jack Frost poking a stick into the paint river. "By jingoes, Jack!" the Easter Bunny huffed. He shoved his boomers back into his bandolier. "What are ya even doin' here?"

The ice elf didn't reply; just kept twirling his stick in the paint. "Oi! Earth to Jacko!" the Bunny sat down.

"Is it okay if I crash here for a few days?"

Aster blinked. "Wha?" his heart sped up. "W-why would ya wanna do something like that? Ya got that fancy room at North's."

At the mention of the other Guardian, Jack's pale complexion took on a green shade. "I'll go back there…eventually." Frost tossed the stick into the water. "I just need some time to clear my head."

Bunny was immediately on his guard. "Did something happen at the shop?" he asked. "Did someone hurt ya? Was it Pitch?"

Jack shook his head. "It's nothing like that. I just…saw something."

Bunnymund let out a bark of laughter. "Well, hell Frostbite! What did ya see that's got ya so upset?"

"Bunny," Jack shuddered. "If you respect our friendship, you will never, ever, _ever_ ask me that again."

Well, that just made the Pooka's curiosity even stronger. "Aw c'mon, Jack," the Easter Bunny needled. "I'm sure it's not as bad as all that."

But Jack shook his head. "Leave it alone, Bunny."

"Tell me!"

"Fine!" Frost closed his eyes and shuddered. "I was flying around and I wanted to check on North because I hadn't seen him since the party so I flew near his window and," Frost paused and shuddered again. "I saw North and Pitch having sex."

Bunnymund blinked. A grin slowly crept over his furry face. He laughed. "Go and pull the other one!" Aster slapped a knee. "Good one!"

Jack frantically shook his head. "I'm serious!" the spirit tugged at his hoodie. "I saw them, Bunny. They were just going at it like, like rabbits—no offense."

Bunny stared at Jack. "Bloody hell," he whispered. "North and Pitch?"

Jack nodded.

Bunnymund groaned aloud. The images! "Are you sure they were…having sex?" he whispered. "They could have been fightin'."

"North had his pants around his ankles, Bunny and he wasn't wearing a shirt. And from what I could see of Pitch, he was completely naked."

"Oh god!"

Jack nodded. "Right?" he flopped back onto the grass. "So can I stay here? It'll only be for a few days. I just need time to repress the images."

The Pooka grunted in agreement. "I can't believe you saw them." The rabbit cringed.

"Well, I mostly saw North."

"Oi!" Bunnymund tried to cover his ears. "Shut your gob or I'll send you back to the lovebirds!"

Jack laughed and Bunny soon joined in. The Pooka joined the ice elf on the grass and they stared up at the sky for a moment in silence. "Thanks for letting me stay." Frost said.

"No problem, Snowflake." The Pooka smiled. "I suppose you couldn't get Tooth or Sandy to let ya crash at their place?"

Jack grabbed his staff and sat up. He fiddled with the wood. "Actually, I came here first."

"What?" Bunny sat up. "Why?"

Frost shrugged.

Bunnymund stared at him. He felt honored that the ice spirit had come to him and also a little nervous. He wasn't used to sharing his space with anyone and then there was the other thing. "Right, well I think I'll turn in." the Pooka faked a yawn. "Been painting cackleberries all day and I'm completely knackered." He hopped away.

Jack followed him of course (Bunny could have smacked himself for his stupidity) and whistled. "You live in here?" he studied the small yellow bungalow with a pastel green terracotta roof tiles and whistled. He looked over the primly manicured lawn with yellow and red tulips under the windows.

Bunny gave him an annoyed snort. "What were you expecting?" he asked. "A hole in the ground?"

"Well, yeah." Jack stuck his hands in his pockets. "You are a rabbit after all."

Bunnymund smiled. "Ah, so you _are_ able to tell the difference. Pardon my confusion what with the Easter Kangaroo comments and all."

"Hey, I apologized for that."

"Yeah, you did." Bunny opened the door (egg-shaped, of course) and ushers Jack inside. "So, here's the den. I got a kitchen over there; it's on the small side. Wanna cuppa?" he felt like he should have offered it sooner. It had been while since he had guests.

Frost shook his head no, content to poke around Bunny's cabinets. The Pooka cleared his throat and continued his tour. "Over here is the loo and—ˮ

"Where do you sleep?" Jack blurted suddenly.

Bunny's scratched at the back of his neck. "Over in that direction," he pointed. "Whatdaya want for dinner? I got some nice carrots and greens for a salad and _Jack Frost you get back here this second_!"

The winter sprite was walking off in the direction that Bunny had pointed. "I just want to see your room!" he called over his shoulders.

Bunny quickly bounded after him and managed to block Frost's path. "No way am I letting you nose around my burrow!" The Pooka clapped a paw over his mouth.

Jack arched a brow. "A burrow?" he smiled. "You mean you have this nice house and you still sleep in a hole in the ground?"

"It's not a hole!" Bunnymund protested. "It's a burrow!"

"Which is…"

"Belt up!" Bunny snapped. He sighed. "I'm gonna hit the hay. See you in the morning, Frost." Before he retired to his burrow he showed Jack to the guest room.

Bunnymund slid down into his burrow and tucked his legs under him, resting his chin on his forepaws. He had almost nodded off when he felt a few pebbles of earth fall onto his head. The Easter Bunny cracked an eyelid just in time to see Jack Frost land beside him. "What? What are you doing here?"

Jack smiled. He placed his staff on the ground. "This isn't too bad." The sprite commented. Bunny's burrow was the size of master bedroom, the ground was spongy and soft and lined with thick blankets to carpet the ground and provide the Pooka with soft bedding. He eyed the phosphorous lichens on the wall that provided Bunny's burrow with a soft light. "Cool."

"Jack," Bunny grit his teeth. "What. Are. You. Doing. Here?"

"I wanted to sleep with you."

Bunnymund hopped up so fast that kicked up the blankets. "What?"

Jack seemed surprised with the response. "I thought I would bunk with you." He said softly. "If you want me to go I will."

"Oh!" Bunny sighed with relief (he ignored that twinge of disappoint). "In that case, here." He moved over to the side and settled back in.

Jack had plenty of room, but lay back on Bunny. "This is nice." He turned over onto his side and rubbed his cheek against Aster's warm, warm fur. "Is this okay?" Jack murmured sleepily.

Bunny was wide awake now. "S'fine," the Pooka swallowed hard.

"Night, Bunny." Jack drifted off to sleep.

Bunnymund groaned inwardly. What was he going to do? Aster knew that if he couldn't convince Frost to sleep in his room tomorrow then the next following nights were going to be a complete hell.

Pitch stretched languidly before bending to retrieve his clothes. North was sitting back in his chair, pants up but not fastened yet. The Guardian watched the Boogeyman examine his clothes, admiring Pitch's lithe naked form.

"If I wash this outfit anymore it'll shrink." Pitch sighed. "Can't be helped I suppose."

North sat up and dug around in his desk. He pulled out a box wrapped in dark red paper with a shiny emerald bow. Pitch's eyes widened when North gestured for him to take it. The Guardian smiled. "You gave me present and now I give you yours."

Pitch hugged the box against his chest. His fingers brushed against the shiny paper and he ducked his head so that North couldn't see his joyful expression. He didn't want to open it. If he could, he would have found a way to preserve it.

North smiled softly. "Presents are meant to be opened, Pitch."

The Boogeyman blushed. "I know that," he muttered crossly. Slowly, he pulled apart the taped wrapping and opened the box. He pulled out a black silk robe that rippled like water. "Oh, North," Pitch breathed. "It's beautiful!"

North's chest puffed with pride. "Had yetis work on it for you. Go on! Try it on."

"Nicholas, I'm filthy."

"You wiped the majority of it away."

Pitch sighed. He carefully put on the new garment. The Boogeyman's new robe was sleeveless and hugged his chest and his hips, and flowed around his legs. While his usual robe had an extremely deep V, this one had a high, closed collar.

Pitch does a slow spin, letting North see how the outfit fits. The Guardian hummed his approval. "Nice," he murmured and stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Maybe I could get Phil and Burt to make you a cloak. It can get chilly here." North smiled and gave his lap a pat. Pitch sat and placed his arm around the Guardian's neck and kissed him. "You like it?" he asked.

The Nightmare King smiled. "I love it, Nicholas." he told North. He noticed the North's expression. "What's wrong?"

"Just thinking," North huffed. "Two outfits still not much. You need more."

Pitch frowned. "You've done enough."

North stroked his beard again. "Maybe…" he gently pushed Pitch off his lap.

The Boogeyman sighed and started to undress. He'd save his lovely new robe for a later date.

Nicholas St. North watched him for a moment. "You see that painting of snowmen?" he asked when Pitch was naked. "Take it off wall."

The Boogeyman frowned but went and did as he was told. Under the portrait was a small wall safe with a digital keypad. "North? What is this?"

North remained sitting. "Code is: 12-25." He shrugged at Pitch's dubious stare. "What?"

Pitch shook his head. He typed in the code and opened the door. His eyes went wide and he dropped the painting on the floor.

The key!

It took Pitch a minute to find his voice. "What?" he squeaked. Pitch swallowed and tried again. "What is this?"

North didn't answer. "Bring me the key." The Guardian held out his hand. "I need to unlock your bracelets."

The key felt so warm in the palm of his hand. It both burned and chilled him at the same time. He placed it in North's open palm then stared at his palm. _It's been there this entire time?_ He mused.

North opened his bracelets and placed them on the work table. "You told me you could make more outfits from shadows, yes?"

Pitch nodded.

North smiled and waved around the room. "Will the shadows here be enough?"

Pitch licked his lips and called to the shadows. They crawled toward him.

Oh! To feel their touch again! The shadows wrapped themselves around his naked limbs, caressing him and sliding against him like an old lover. Pitch whimpered at their touches and held his arms out from his body. The shadows slid up his middle and twined around his arms. More shadows wrapped themselves around his legs and thighs. Pitch gasped as an extremely naughty and adventurous shadow wandered a bit too close to his privates. "Behave yourselves," the Nightmare King chastised quietly. He glanced back at North.

The Guardian was watching him intently, his large hand moving along his partially erected cock. Pitch made an exasperated noise. "Really, North?"

"What? You cannot be expecting me not to become aroused with you doing that."

Pitch arched an inquisitive brow. "Doing what?" he smiled. "Dressing myself?" he willed the shadows to tighten around his ass. He was thrilled at the loud, throaty groan that North emitted.

"Pitch," North growled in warning. Always growling that one.

"Yes, yes." Pitch snapped his fingers. The shadows puffed out like a balloon before erupting. The shredded darkness reformed and settled onto the ground in a neatly folded outfit identical to the robe and trousers that Pitch usually donned. He did three more time, glanced back at North and decided that one more outfit couldn't hurt (he planned on having lots of sex with the gift-giver so there were bound to be some stains), but instead of a robe he made a simple black long-sleeved shirt and sensible black trouser and shoes. Pitch lined his outfits next to the wall. "Finished," he said with a smile. Pitch almost jumped when he felt North's arm encircle him from behind. The Boogeyman watched sadly as the Guardian fastened the bracelets back onto his wrists. _It was nice while it lasted_, he smiled.

He didn't get much of a chance to mourn because North started kissing the back of his neck and rubbing his hardness against rear. Pitch groaned. He tilted his head to let North have better access to his neck. The Guardian happily licked and sucked on the vulnerable gray flesh. "You're insatiable." Pitch grinned.

"_Da_." North lapped at his skin like a cat with a bowl of cream. The Guardian pulled Pitch back against his chest and slowly pulls him down to the floor…

_Several hours later_

Pitch was in North's office, holding a broom and staring at the safe. He had told North that he wanted to sweep the hallway and he did but…

He only meant to see if the door was locked…

It wasn't.

He went inside. North's office could use a good sweep after all…

The floor never got swept.

Pitch stopped in front of the painting for a minute before taking it off.

The Nightmare King had been staring at the safe for five minutes now. He licked his lips and nervously glanced at the door. North was somewhere else in the shop, but he could show up at any moment.

He could do this.

(Did he want to do this?)

The key was there! Right there!

_I know the code_, Pitch told himself. _I_ _just need to type it in and grab it and then…_, he smiled. _Then I'll be free._

His smile faltered. But then what? The Nightmare King had nowhere else to go.

And what about North, a voice whispered tauntingly. Think about how heartbroken he'll be.

_No._ Pitch shook his head. He looked back at the safe. _It was foolish to think that this would last forever._

Who's the foolish one? The voice mocked. You or North? He believed in you. He turned the others away to protect you.

_It's just sex._

Poor little Pitch. So broken that you'll run from the first good thing that comes your way.

Pitch clenched his teeth angrily. _Shut up!_

All hail Pitch Black the Nightmare King, the traitorous voice whispered. Ruler of a kingdom of _one_!

"Shut up!" Pitch snarled. He looked at the door. Still nothing. The Boogeyman closed his eyes and inhaled shakily. "It's just sex."

You know that it's not. North isn't like Samhain. He lov—

"_Don't say it_! Please!" Pitch begged and covered his ears. "Don't say those words!" He put the painting back in its place. He'd been so close! So close to reclaiming his freedom and he threw it all away and for what?! For nothing!

"No, not for nothing," Pitch glanced at North's worktable. He gently ran his fingertips over the cool wood. "For North," he whispered. He smiled softly. "For that beautiful, foolish man." There was an empty dish with crumbs and a half eaten tree cookie on the table. Pitch picked them up and carried them out of the office.

He gave the painting one final glance before closing the door with a click.

North stepped out from the storage room where he had been getting more paints and brushes for the yetis. He looked over in the direction of the safe and smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

North's desire to keep his relationship with Pitch a secret proved futile. You had to be deaf or blind not to be aware of what was going on behind the closed door of the gift-giver's office and the fact that North had taken the liberty to move Pitch into his quarters didn't escape anyone's attention. The yetis, especially, were able to smell what the two had been doing as soon as they came near. They didn't think much of it. As long as the relationship didn't affect their work then who were they to judge? There was the fact that the Boogeyman had taken to helping them with their tasks that also kept them voicing any complaints. It wasn't an uncommon sight to see the Nightmare King strolling through the workshop after his work was done. Now that his relation with North was in the open, Pitch had taken some charge over household tasks and duties. North no longer had to put chores on the board, the Boogeyman could already guess what needed to be done. _Heaven above and Hell below_, he grimaced one day while he was folding laundry. _I've become domesticated!_

Pitch sometimes commented on the yetis work, offered advice and helped to corral the rowdy elves before they did too much damage.

"You know he's going to hate that color," Pitch commented idly to Gene just as the yeti starts painting a toy car bright green. "He'll make you repaint it red."

Gene remembered the incident with the robots and shuddered, glad that he hadn't gotten too far in his work. He growled his thanks to Pitch and reached for the jar of red paint.

Pitch grabbed an elf that was digging around the tool case while its owner was otherwise occupied with fixing in tiny lights into a robot's eye sockets. "What have we said about bothering the yetis while they work, Jingle?"

The elf babbled something.

Pitch frowned. "Well, then Dingle's a liar. North would never let you lot have a hot glue gun and you know it. Not after the sequins incident."

Bunnymund found a domesticated Pitch to be hilarious. He watched with barely concealed amusement as Pitch fussed over an elf that had gotten it into his head that he would be able to help the kitchen yetis with baking.

"You're an absolute mess, Tinsel." The Boogeyman scolded. He wiped the squirming elf's face and tsked. "Hold still." He directed an annoyed glare at Bunny when he heard the Pooka chuckle. "What's so funny?" he demanded.

"Oh nothing," Aster snorted behind a paw. He tapped his foot and opened a portal. "_Mrs. Claus_." Bunny added before jumping inside.

Pitch did _not_ approve of that. Oh he most certainly did not.

His revenge was swift. He gathered four elves, allowed them to gorge themselves on sugary pastries and punch, Pitch then grabbed one of North's snowglobes, set it for Bunnymund's Warren and lobbed the elves through the portal.

And two and a half hours later, Bunny showed up at the workshop with his fur in disarray and a noticeable twitch in his left eye. The elves were covered in paint with bits of eggshells stuck to them. Enjoying a sugar crash induced nap; the elves were being carried under the Pooka's arms.

Bunny all but dropped them on the floor. "Ya think that was funny?!" he demanded. The Easter Bunny had paint and what appeared to be egg yolk splashed on his fur. "You have any idea what those little monsters put me through?" the Pooka sat down and put a paw over his eyes. "They were just runnin' about and touchin' everything! Wouldn't sit still! I had to literally chase them for an hour! And you!" he looked at Pitch. "You did this!"

Pitch sipped his tea and turned the page in his book. "You call me 'Mrs. Claus' again and next time they'll be even more."

Bunny openly gaped at him. "You're the devil." He seethed.

Pitch smiled and raised his teacup. "And don't you forget it."

Jack had taken Pitch's new role in stride. After getting over his shock of seeing North and Pitch's intimate moment, the ice elf returned to Santoff Clausen. Jack found it easier to get things he wanted now that there was a second person to go to.

"Hey, Pitch. Whoa! Are those new cookies?" Jack reached for a purple frosted one.

The Boogeyman popped his hand. "Lunch is in ten minutes." He told Jack before leaving to see what the hell just crashed to the floor and why the elves were running.

Jack could have gotten a cookie then and there but instead he played the safe route. "Hey, North?" he popped his head into the Guardian's office. "You mind if I grab one those cookies that just came out of the oven?"

North was busy chiseling a toy castle design. "Sure, sure." The Guardian waved a hand. "Be sure to leave some for me."

"Will do." Jack replied.

And vice versa.

"North, can I go hang out with Bunny?"

"No," North answered as he wiped down his tools. "I heard about San Diego, Jack. You will be staying in shop until I say otherwise."

Jack headed downstairs. He found Pitch in the kitchen with the yetis overseeing the evening meal's preparation. "I'm going to see Bunny," Jack announced. "Okay?"

"Don't be late for dinner." Pitch told him distractedly.

Jack rolled his eyes and headed for North's snowglobe room. "Yes, Mom."

Pitch stood abruptly and directed a sharp glare at the young Guardian's back, a retort on the edge of his tongue, but Jack was already gone.

The Boogeyman scowled and returned to the cooking. It was North's idea that the other Guardians share dinner with them. This was to ensure that they actually ate (Bunnymund was notorious for forgetting to eat for days during his Easter preparations) and as a way for everyone to constantly keep in touch. "Make sure Toothiana's serving has plenty of vegetables. Also, please limit Sandy to three glasses of eggnog."

Johann, the yeti cook made an inquisitive noise.

Pitch shrugged. "We're running low." He told him. "He guzzles it down like it's going out of style."

North walked in just as Pitch bent to take the loaf of bread out of the oven. The Guardian of Wonder took a moment to enjoy the sight. He missed the looks of exasperation from the yetis. "Dinner is going well?" he asked.

Pitch glanced over his shoulder. "Well enough," he replied. "Johann's stew has a few minutes more and the Olga says the hens are almost done." The Boogeyman smiled. "How are your models coming?"

"Good, good." North beamed. "We are making good progress." He walked over to help himself to some mulled cider and pressed a kiss on Pitch's forehead.

The Nightmare King blushed and directed a poisonous glare at any of the yetis watching. They turned back to respective tasks. He sighed. Pitch had noticed it happening more and more since the Christmas episode with Sam. Little touches here and there, making sure he had a hand on Pitch at all times, and little kisses; gestures to mark North's ownership of Pitch.

_Why doesn't he just pee on me?_ Pitch snorted with amusement causing North to look at him curiously. "It's nothing," he waved a dismissive hand. "Just thought of a joke."

The gift-giver smiled. "I like jokes." He looked at Pitch and for one horrible minute the Boogeyman thought that North would ask him to tell one. "You are doing well here." North placed a hand on Pitch's shoulder. "You are happy, yes?"

The Nightmare King blinked. "Yes," he said hesitantly.

"You still like being here? You would not prefer being somewhere else…with someone else?'

Oh. Oh no. Not this again. They've had this same conversation for days. North just couldn't get it into his head that he was done with Samhain. Some insecure part in the Guardian thought that as soon as the right chance came Pitch would leave with the Halloween King and never come back.

Pitch wanted to take North by the shoulders and shake him.

"I am happy being here with you." He said slowly to ensure that North was finally able to get it. "I'm happy with you."

"You are sure?"

"Yes!" Pitch said emphatically. "A thousand times yes and if I have to say it again, North I will give the elves sugar and lock them in your office!"

The yetis couldn't help but chuckle at their boss's horrified expression. Finally, North chuckled too. "Okay, point made." He gave Pitch an affectionate pat on the cheek. He walked out of the kitchen with his cup of cider, singing carols to himself.

Pitch sighed and started to slice the bread. He slid the warm, thick slices onto a serving platter and smiled. Never in a million years would he have imagined his life like this. Working and living with his once hated enemy would have never crossed his mind. And Pitch would have never thought that his happiest moments were the nights when North was done for the day and he would trudge tiredly to their room, climb into bed and take Pitch in his arms and just hold him. No sex; just Pitch being held against that warm, expansive chest. Sometimes they were awake long enough to talk. North would tell him of his past and Pitch would listen. The Guardian was curious about his lover, but he never pressured Pitch to say anything. North figured that whatever had turned Pitch into the Nightmare King had to be devastating and a sore subject. He trusted Pitch to discuss it when he was good and ready.

Pitch listened to the yetis chatter as they worked, shooed a curious elf away from cabinet with his foot and realized that this was the first time he felt as if he belonged. It was a strange but nice feeling. Pitch smiled again. He placed the knife in the sink and gave Johann a pat on the shoulder before walking out.

Samhain had many faults. The biggest one would be that he could be a tad obsessive. That obsession was the main reason he was in the middle of the North Pole freezing his candy corns off.

_I have to know_, he shivered. Sam pulled a tattered brown cloak tighter around his shoulders. There had to be a reason why someone like _Pitch_ would turn down someone like _him_.

Sam peered in the workshop's windows. He ducked down when a yeti came too close. Samhain reached into one the cloaks folds and pulled out a black rat. Taking out a paintbrush, Sam bit his tongue hard enough to draw blood. He dipped the brush into his mouth and got it nice and bloody. "Easy, Ratatouille." He told the squirming rat. Sam painted an eye on the rodent's face. He lifted the rat close and breathed a green mist onto it. The rat went motionless and Sam smiled as he set it on the ground. "Go on, little guy." He pushed the rat toward a crack in the wall. "Be my eyes."

The rat squeezed through the crack and scurried inside. Samhain sat down and closed his eyes.

He forgot about the cold.

He forgot about the snow.

_Focus. Focus._

Ah. There it was. The rat's vision left a little to be desired, but it was better than nothing. Sam took over the rodent's consciousness and maneuvered him through the busy shop.

Sure there were a few hiccups.

Hiccups like almost being stepped on by smelly yeti feet.

Rounding a corner, Rat-Sam ran into an elf. The delighted creature grinned and attempted to catch him, but he got away. He finally found Pitch. The Boogeyman was carrying a tray of cookies with a mug of warmed eggnog to the elevator. Samhain managed to stowaway just as the door closed.

_Don't we look comfy being all servile_, Sam sneered. The elevator came to a stop and he followed the former Nightmare King out. Pitch knocked on North's office door before making his way inside.

Sam followed.

"Hard at work?" Pitch sat the tray down on North's corner desk.

"_Da_," the gift-giver blew away some flecks of ice. "Trying to get doll's features _just_ right."

The Boogeyman smiled. "I don't suppose you have time for a little break?" his fingers traced North's Naughty tattoo.

_The fuck is this?_ Sam was beside himself with anger.

North chuckled. He took Pitch's hand and brushed his lips against the knuckles. "I would love break, but I have much work to do."

_I can't believe this!_

Pitch leaned down and kissed North deeply. The Guardian moaned and pulled the Boogeyman down onto his lap. North's slid his hands over the Nightmare King's hips and palmed Pitch's ass, squeezing and groping it. Pitch keened and tossed his head to the side. North nipped at his neck, receiving a gasp from Pitch for his efforts.

_Oh,_ Samhain seethed. _Oh I see how it is._ He pulled the rat back to him. Once it was back in his hand, he wiped its fur clean and angrily flung it through the air. It landed some distance away in the snow. Samhain wrapped his cape around him and doffed his hat. "Home," he muttered. His cloak formed into a pair of twisted wings with black feathers and he took to the air. While he was nowhere near as fast as Jack Frost, Samhain could still cross great distances in very little time. He landed outside the old abandoned candy factory that served as his lair. The dilapidated building used to make the world's sweetest chocolates until the unfortunate death of one of the line workers caused it to shut its doors forever. He didn't live here alone. Samhain had to share his role of Halloween spirit with Jack O'Lantern and with their combined Halloween magic, Sam and Jack O'Lantern had transformed the inside of the chocolate factory into their home. While the outside continued to look like a dilapidated and abandoned factory the inside resembled that of a luxury home.

_Home sweet home_, Sam smiled. The wings turned back into his cloak and Samhain threw open the doors. "Jack-O, I'm home!"

Jack O'Lantern looked up from his book. The pumpkin-headed spirit wore black pajama bottoms under a thick burnt orange bathrobe. His enchanted carved mouth turned down in a frown. "Where have you been?" the beleaguered spirit sighed.

"Out." Samhain snapped his fingers and high-backed leather chair on spider legs scuttled over to him. It bent down so that Sam could climb on and then shambled over to where Jack O'Lantern was sitting. "Did you miss me?"

"Like I miss a rash." Jack scowled. His flaming eyes narrowed. "You went to see Pitch Black." It wasn't a question.

Sam shrugged. "I might have."

"You're sad."

Sam scowled. "Watch it, Pumpkin boy! I don't take lip from anyone especially you!"

Jack snapped his book shut and threw it. Bat wings sprung from the spine and the book flew back to its place on the shelf. "You'll listen to me, if you know what's good for you!" his eye flames billowed dangerously.

Sam cowered in his chair. "I-I'm sorry." He stammered. "It's just—it's not fair!" Samhain frowned. "I saw them, Jack!"

Jack reclined back in his chair. "Saw who and saw them doing what?"

"North and Pitch! Having sex."

Jack's eyes almost fizzled out from shock. "What?"

Sam nodded. "It's true! I was there—"

"Stalking Pitch."

"—_Investigating_ the reason Pitch turned me down."

O'Lantern sighed. "Let it go, Sam." He said.

"No!" Samhain screamed. "I won't let it go! It's not fair!"

"Life isn't fair!" Jack shot back. "It's time you grew the hell up and figured that out for yourself." The pumpkin-head spirit knocked on his chair's arm. The chair lowered itself to the ground allowing Jack to slide out.

Samhain crossed his arms and sunk deeper in his chair, sulking like a child. "I could have made him say yes." He groused.

Jack studied him. "Okay fine." He said. "Let's say Pitch had said yes, what were you planning to do?"

Sam blinked. He suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I would have brought him back here…" he began.

"Oh! 'Brought him back here', he says!" Jack O'Lantern mocked. "Back to our home where he would be of no use to anyone and without asking me first? I live here too! In fact, this is more my home than it is yours!"

"That's not fair, Jack!"

Jack's eyes blazed bright. He rounded on Sam. "_Life isn't fair_!" his voice thundered. The Halloween spirit sucked in the light, making him double then triple in size. Jack's fiery eyes turned a poisonous green and hot, hellish flames billowed from his mouth. His normal slender arms rippled with muscles and he slammed a green-skinned fist against his barrel chest. "You listen to me, you little ant!" Jack O'Lantern bellowed. "You're going to leave Pitch alone." He ordered. "You're going to stop following him around. You're not going to bother North or anyone else at the Pole. It's time to stop obsessing over him. Do you understand?"

Sam had his arms over his head in an attempt to shield himself. "I understand," he cringed. "I understand! Just-just dial it back! Please!"

Jack let out a giant breath of air and returned to regular size. The lights flickered back on. The Halloween spirit cleared his throat. "I'm going to bed. You should do the same. We're going to get up early tomorrow so we can start with Halloween preparations."

Samhain still had his arms over his head. "Yeah," he muttered. "Good night."

Jack headed for the stairs. He stopped and glanced back at his cowering comrade. "Look, I know you don't always agree with the decisions I make, but you should know this is for the best." He scratched the back of his gourd. "Pitch is moving on. So should you."

Sam scowled. He hopped out of his chair and headed for the door. _Stupid Jack O'Lantern_, the spirit griped. _Always acting like he's so smart!_ Samhain knew that there had to be a way to convince Pitch to be with him. He just couldn't think of one.

_But I know someone who can!_ Samhain smiled. It would take a couple of days to get there, and he knew Jack would be cross with him for setting them back, but Sam had to blow off some steam and there was only one creature who would actually take the time to listen and understand where he was coming from.

And that was why Samhain the Halloween King was flying to the Alps. He had to see the Krampus.

"Krampus!" Sam walked through the dank, cold mountain cave. "Krampus!" he called again.

Samhain pulled his cloak around him tighter and trudged on. The Krampus made his home deep within the heart of the Alps. The way leading to the demon's inner sanctum was a twisting maze of tunnels that responded only to its master's wishes. If Krampus wanted guests the tunnels would lead them directly to him.

If not…well, the cold would preserve your body at least.

"Krampus? Come on, man! I'm freezing my candied apples off here!" Sam moaned. "I want to talk to you."

Finally, Sam could make out the warm, welcoming light at the end of the tunnel. He grinned and ran for it. He parked himself by the roaring hearth with a joyous whoop and warmed his hands.

"What are you doing here?" a gravelly voice demanded.

Sam sighed and turned. "Nice to see you too." He greeted the Krampus.

The Krampus, the Christmas demon walked into the light. 7'8 with ink-black fur and blood-red eyes, the hellbeast eyed his guest with open displeasure. Wickedly sharp black horns curved from Krampus's brow like those on an ibex and thick, heavy cloven hooves clomped against the stone floor. "Samhain," he sniffed disdainfully. "To what do I owe this…" the beast sneered, "Unexpected pleasure?"

Sam sighed and sat down on the cold, stone floor. "Pitch Black is back."

Krampus's nostrils flared. "Oh?" he bared his overlapping, sharp yellow fangs in a menacing grin. "Is that so?"

Sam nodded. "And get this! While he's supposed to be being 'punished' by North it turns out they've been fucking! Can you believe it?"

"No, I can't imagine that I can." The Krampus sat down in a dusty leather chair. He clawed at the fabric. "So, how does that make you feel?"

"Huh?"

Krampus smiled. "You and Pitch were an item once, yes? And now he's gone and chosen another. It must sting. Especially after you made that noble gesture at North's shindig."

Samhain's face fell. "You heard about that?"

"Everyone's heard about that, Sam." Krampus put on a sympathetic face as he approached the smaller spirit. "It's not fair, is it?"

Sam pouts. "That's what I've been saying!" he said. "But Jack is all, like—"

"Jack?!" Krampus all but snarled. "As in Jack O'Lantern? Pah! Let me tell you something about Jack O'Lantern, he's a boring stick in the mud who only cares about flinging candy to sticky little brats! He fears your creativity, Sam."

Sam looked amazed by this. "He does?"

Krampus nodded. "Yes! Just look at your Trick or Treat pumpkin bombs! Those are genius!"

Samhain blushed. "Jack said they were silly and irresponsible." He said sadly. "And he said they were unfair because Trick came up 9 out of 10 times." Sam had thought that was the best and funniest part about his toys.

The demon sneered. "He would say something like that. What does that pumpkin-headed fool know anyway? What does he know about rejection? What does he know about being pushed aside and being replaced?" Krampus gripped Samhain by the shoulders. "If you want Pitch so badly then you need to fight for him!" the demon grinned again. "And if all else fails, drag him back to your lair and make him bow to your whims."

Sam's face brightened. "You think I could do it?" he asked.

The Krampus smiled. "I know you can." A long blood-red tongue ran over his lips. "And I'm going to help. It's time for the Krampus and Samhain to finally get theirs!"

Bunny sighed as he warmed his feet by the fire. You would think he'd learn to place his tunnels closer to North's shop, but the Pooka was afraid that being too close would some sort of structural damage. Jack was staring at him again. He just knew it. The blighter had come over to his Warren, looking like he wanted to have a chat, but had just spent the entire time poking at his googies and staring.

Kinda like right now.

"Do I got something on my fur?" Bunnymund finally snapped.

Jack blinked. "Huh?"

"You're staring at me." Bunny told him. He walked over to a chair and sat down. "Again."

Jack's cheeks frosted over with embarrassment. "Sorry." He muttered. "I was just thinking about something."

"Thinking about what?"

"Something Pitch said."

Bunny fought the urge to roll his eyes. "And what, pray tell, did Pitch say to you that has ya all bent out of shape?" he took a sip of warm cider offered by one of the yetis.

Jack fidgeted with his hoodie string. "He said that you have feelings for me."

The yeti let out an understandably outraged yowl when Bunny spat the cider back at him. "H-he said what?" the Pooka coughed.

The ice elf nodded. The Boogeyman had mentioned it in passing when Jack commented about how weird Bunny acted those couple of days that Jack stayed with him. He ran his fingers along the rough wood of his staff. "I wanted to talk to you about that."

Bunny held up his paws in a shielding way. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Frostbite, you don't have to say anything." He jumped out of his chair and headed for the door. Damn that Pitch Black! Damn him to a thousand hells! "Just forget about it." he waved a paw. "I just remembered I left something on. Better get back to the Warren."

"I like you too."

Bunny froze. His ears stood straight up and he stared unseeingly at the door. "What did you say?" he asked softly.

Jack Frost smiled and floated over to Bunny. He blew a chilly bit of air at the Pooka's nose. The Easter Bunny snorted and wiped his paw over it. "You're so dense sometimes." The ice elf grinned. "I really like you, Bunny."

"Pull the other one."

"I'm serious." Jack grinned. He landed and wrapped his arms around the Pooka's warm middle. "I like you, Bunny." He whispered. "I always have."

"So your ruining my Easters was what then?" Aster questioned.

Jack's cheeks frosted over. "I had to get your attention somehow." He smiled sheepishly. "Messing with your holiday seemed the best route."

"Well, I certainly couldn't ignore you after that." Bunny smiled. He ruffled Jack's hair. "Let's go get some dinner, yeah?"

Sam watched quietly as the Krampus spoke with his the guests the Jólasveinarnir. The thirteen Yule Lads wore dark hooded cloaks to keep the cold at bay. They all had dirty white hair and beards. They ranged from different heights with Stekkjastaur being the tallest at seven feet and Stúfur being the shortest at 3'2. "My friends," Krampus smiled. "I've asked you here because I need your assistance. Too long have we been pushed aside while Nicholas St. North and his lot wander freely."

The Yule Lads hissed at the sound of Santa's named. Krampus nodded. "We have long waited for a chance to do damage to the one who wronged us and now thanks to dear Samhain we finally have one." The demon clasped his hands behind his back and paced. "It appears that North has fallen for the disgraced Nightmare King, Pitch Black."

The Yuletide Lads turned to converse amongst themselves. Samhain leaned in hoping to catch a snatch of the conversation. Finally, Stekkjastaur turned to Krampus. The peg-legged spirit's long scraggly white beard was caked with what Sam hoped was black mud and bits of hay were in his dirty white hair. The Yule Lad's teeth were crooked and yellow and his breath stank of sour milk. "You would ask us to invite the ire of the Guardians on our heads."

"I would invite you," Krampus connected. "To take a chance to take back your rightful place! We once played a role in Christmas alongside of St. North, but he pushed aside and took all the glory for himself!" the demon's nostrils flared angrily. "We take Pitch away from him and we force him to return us to our rightful roles!"

"And I get to keep Pitch right?" Sam piped up.

The Krampus' fur bristled at the interruption, but he schooled his expression when he turned to look at Samhain. "Of course," he said cheerily. "The Boogeyman is yours," Krampus smiled. "I have the perfect place for you to house your prize."


	6. Chapter 6

_For those wondering, Seraphina Pitchiner will not appear in this story simply because I know nothing about the books. I know of her existence and I know her name, but that comes from what I've read on Tumblr. There is a reference to a Prequel comic done by Rufftoon that you should check out if you haven't read it._

"Pitch!" Toothiana squealed. The Tooth Fairy flew over to the Boogeyman and started poking around in his mouth. Her mini-fairies hovered over her head, watching their queen's antics gleefully. "Oh my! You've been flossing more! I'm so proud! Look how sparkly they're getting! You'll rival Jack soon enough, mark my words! And do I detect a hint of minty freshness? Very nice! Well, I'm not surprised that you're taking better care of them." She winked conspiringly. "I bet North enjoys minty fresh breath doesn't he? Speaking of which have you thought about filing? I'm sure it'll cut down on the risk of injury when you're—"

"For heaven's sake, Tooth!" North walked in, saving everyone from hearing that particular sentence being finished. "Fingers out of mouth!"

"Oh!" Tooth blushed. "Sorry!" She flittered over to the table. "Look at all the yummy veggies, girls!"

Jack rolled his eyes as he settled into a seat next to Bunny. The Pooka didn't look at him, but he gives the ice elf's hand a squeeze. The young Guardian smiled.

Sandman took the seat to Pitch's left and gave him a cheery wave. The Nightmare King waved back having been worn down by the Dream Lord's tactics weeks ago. He slid Sandy a glass of eggnog and smiled at the happy chime of gratitude.

Dinner was served. "Jack," Tooth looked at the ice elf's plate disapprovingly. "You don't have any vegetables on your plate."

Jack rolled his eyes. He spooned even more potatoes. "I've got potatoes."

"But that's a starch."

"It's fine," Jack started to say, but twin looks of a disapproval from North and Pitch cut him off. The ice elf sighed loudly. "_Fine_! Bunny, can you pass me some of the carrots?" he glared at North and Pitch. "Happy?"

Pitch took a sip of his wine to hide his smirk. North nodded turned to Phil to chat about production. The Boogeyman poked him in the side. "No business at the table, Nicholas." He reminded his lover of the rule.

North blushed because he had been the one to make the rule after getting into a heated debate with Aster about whose holiday had the best candy. "_Da_. Yes. I remember. Thank you. Delicious food." He complimented Johann. The yeti bowed deeply. "So how are things, everyone?" North paused to help himself to another spoonful of stew. "Any news? Not business related, of course." He added quickly.

Pitch smiled as he chewed on roasted chicken.

Images flashed over Sandman's head. "Is that so?" North grinned. "Well, I will be making sure to make a crib for March Lion and Lamb's new addition."

"Who?" Jack asked over a mouthful of bread.

Bunny rolled his eyes. "Lion and Lamb." He told him. "Weather spirits who only work during March. 'In like a Lion and out like a Lamb' or vice versa." Bunnymund took a bite of his carrots. "Anyway, they've been shacking up and I guess Lamb's finally preggers."

Jack made a face. "How would a lion even—

Tooth giggled. "Lion and Lamb aren't really a lion and lamb, Jack." The Tooth Fairy gave a dainty snort. "Manny tried that once." She said somberly.

"Yeah, it didn't end well." Bunny shuddered.

"So they're human? Or were?" Jack asked.

Aster nodded. "Lion's a big bloke. All muscle, that one. Lamb's this little dainty thing with these huge—"

"Bunny!" Tooth hissed.

"—Personality." Bunny gave the Fairy Queen a look. "What? Everyone knows it's not her conversation skills that keep Lion comin' back for more." The Pooka snorted.

Pitch rolled his eyes. "Perhaps business would be a safer discussion." He muttered. The Boogeyman looked up as a distressed looking yeti walked up to North.

The yeti pulled at his fur and garbled something. Pitch was slowly learning Yettish, but he the yeti was speaking so quickly that he could only catch "at the door".

North stood so abruptly that his chair was knocked backward. He wiped his mouth on a napkin and looked grim.

"North?" Pitch started to stand, but the Guardian shook his head.

"Stay here." North told him.

"What's wrong?" The Nightmare King demanded.

"Samhain is here."

That got the others to their feet.

Bunny reached into his bag and pulled out his boomerangs. "Just doesn't give up, yeah?"

Phil had run into the back and returned quickly with North's duel swords. "Stay here, Pitch." North told the Boogeyman again.

"Like hell I will!" the Nightmare King refused to sit by like some cringing maiden while North fought in his defense. "I might not have use of my powers but give me a weapon and I'll split Sam's head open."

"Ouch! Sensing some hostility in the room."

They turned collectively to see Samhain stroll casually into the room. The Halloween spirit tossed a spherical object. It rolled over to Tooth who picked it up without thinking.

It was a strange giggling pumpkin toy. The pumpkin's large cartoonish flickered as the black-lettered words 'Trick' and 'Treat' flashed over its front in rapid succession.

Pitch's face paled. "Tooth!" he shouted. "Throw it!"

Too late. 'Trick' settled on the pumpkin and it cackled as the word flashed red. Tooth screamed as she was thrown back by the blast. Thick green goop plastered the fairy to the wall and hardened, holding her in place. Toothiana groaned and her Baby Tooths flew over and worriedly examined their queen. She was a bit dazed but otherwise unharmed.

"What are you doing here?" North demanded. He gestured for the yetis to help the mini-fairies chip Tooth out.

Sam smiled. "Oh, I was just in the neighborhood." He waved at Pitch. "And I thought I'd pop in and see how you were doing."

"You're not welcome here." Jack frowned, aiming his staff at the spirit.

"Yeah, I'm starting to pick up on that." Sam said drily. He looked at Pitch and smiled even more. "You seem to be fitting in quite well though." Samhain gave North a sidelong glance. "If I'd known you were into bears, I would have packed on a few pounds, Pitchy."

North took a step forward, but Pitch blocked his path with his arm. "If you think you're going to shock anyone here by divulging our relationship you're sadly mistaken." Pitch smirked. "I'm afraid that's old news."

Sam shrugged. "I figured it would be by now. But," that infuriating smile was back. "I know something you don't know." He sang.

Pitch snorted. "I highly doubt it." He rolled his eyes.

"Oh but I do." Sam grinned. "I know—Sandman! Hey! Stay where I can see you!—I know the _real_ reason you got your Get Out of Jail Free card."

North yelled and charged at the Halloween spirit. He slashed at Samhain's head but the nimble spirit easily dodged the Guardian's attack, laughing all the while. "You shut your mouth!"

"What's the matter, North?" Sam jeered. "Don't want Pitch to know the truth?" he flipped away and using Bunny's head as a vault he landed on the table. "I was so curious to know why you were so adamant about the Guardians saving you and then it hit me," Samhain smirked. "_You didn't know_."

Pitch glared at Sam for a moment before he searched out North. "Know what?" he asked his lover.

North wouldn't meet his gaze.

"North?" Pitch's tone had a desperate edge to it.

Sam snapped his fingers. "Eyes on me, Pitch." He stuck his finger in a bowl of stew and licked it. "Yum. My compliments to the chef. Anyway, I think that it's only fair to tell you that the whole redemption spin to your rescue is complete bullshit." Sam grinned. "The real reason is Man in the Moon made a mistake."

"What?"

Samhain nodded. "See, you being imprisoned for eight years had some unfortunate side effects." He jumped off the table and walked behind the Boogeyman's chair. Sam placed his hands gently on Pitch's shoulders.

Pitch slapped him away and moved from his seat. Sam just shrugged and continued. "See what the Guardians and Manny didn't realize is that a little fear is good because it leads to caution. With you out of the picture, fear and caution just went out the window."

"That's enough!" Bunnymund leapt over the table and aimed a blow for Sam's head. Sam grabbed the Pooka's arm and flipped him onto his back. He dropped, slamming his elbow into Bunny's throat.

"Bunny!" Jack shouted. With a roar, he fired a freezing blast at Samhain only to have the Halloween King duck down under the table.

"Everybody wants to interrupt me!" Sam complained. He picked up and elf and threw it at Jack who dropped his staff to catch it. Sam skittered forward and caught his staff. "Look what I got! Ah! Careful, Sandman." Sam snarled. "I see even a speck of sand and I'll set the twig on fire. Now where was I? Oh yes. People were doing stupid things, Pitch. Stupid and dangerous things that they wouldn't normally do if there was a certain someone whispering what a bad idea it was, but even that wasn't enough to make MiM decide to set you free.

"But then the kiddies started getting hurt. Oh yes, Pitch it always falls on the children doesn't it?" Sam smiled. "They started dying. Doing stupid shit that got them killed; hopping into strangers' vans, eating and drinking stuff they shouldn't. Oh dear and let's not forget sweet little _Jamie Bennett_."

Pitch's eyes narrowed at that name. That boy. The boy who never stopped believing. He'd been the one to defeat him. Even after all this time it still ate at him.

Sam grinned. "He and his friends took a header off a cliff. Just got his license and decided to take his new wheels for a spin. If you had been around they would have been a little bit more careful. They wouldn't have been playing chicken in a fucking rainstorm!" Sam shrugged. "On the bright side, no one was chicken." He sighed. "Manny discovered that by bringing you out of your imprisonment, your influence could be used to right the problem. Just by walking among us you put an end to poor decisions and deaths worthy of a Darwin Award."

Pitch looked at the others especially at North. "You only freed me because of your precious children?" his shoulders shook.

"Pitch, you don't understand." North began.

Pitch cut him off with a snarl. "Don't give me that!" the Nightmare King bared his teeth. "You lied to me! You all did! There was no redemption! There was no change of heart! You only cared about those miserable brats!" something inside him broke. "Y-you," Pitch sucked in a breath. "Look at me, North. You look me in the eyes and tell me that even if your precious children hadn't been getting hurt you would have still come for me. Look at me! North," he could feel tears welling in his eyes, but Pitch didn't care. "_Look at me_!"

North couldn't.

None of them could.

The Nightmare King nodded slowly accepting it. "I see." He headed for the door.

"Pitch," North tried to stop him, but Pitch brought his hand across the Guardian's face. The sound echoed off the wall.

"Don't touch me." Pitch raged. "You act all selfless and caring but the fact of the matter is I would have been down there still _suffering_ and none of you would have cared! Because as long as the precious children are safe who cares about Pitch?"

"That's not true!" Tooth yelled. The yetis and fairies had her freed. "Can't you see what he's doing? He's just trying to get you to turn on us and join him."

"Don't be stupid." Pitch spat. "I'm not going anywhere with that idiot."

Sam's jaw dropped. "Say what?"

Pitch leveled a scathing look at the Halloween King. "You all sicken me." He walked out of the shop and into the frigid snow.

Krampus leaned against the wall, keeping himself out of sight as Pitch the Nightmare King stormed out. The demon smirked. Looks like Sam had done his job and provided a distraction. Minutes later, as planned North followed in pursuit of his lover. He looked over at the waiting Jólasveinarnir. "Get it set up," he ordered Pottasleikr and Askasleikr. "We don't have much time." He turned to Stekkjarstaur. "You and Gáttaþefur keep the Guardians occupied. I don't want them interrupting us." Krampus bared his teeth in a feral grin. "Rejoice, my friends. Tonight is the night Nicholas St. North falls."

The problem with storming out dramatically is that one needs to be sure that you have somewhere to storm to. This was the problem Pitch faced as he trudged through the snow.

"Brilliant," the Boogeyman let out a puff of air. He hugged his arms. "Absolutely brilliant." _I did not think this through._ He looked up into the sky and saw the last person he wanted to see.

The Man in the bloody Moon.

"You!" Pitch sneered. "Of course it would be you. Always sitting there watching. Judging! As silent and critical as ever." The Boogeyman huffed. He stared at the moon. "You once had North invite me to join the Guardians. Why? What was even the point?" Pitch demanded. "Sandman gives children sweet dreams. Tooth gives them money. Aster and North both give them gifts and even Jack helps them have fun. What do I have? Fear! How was I supposed to turn that into something that a child would like or even want? You knew that I couldn't! You had to have known! And yet," Pitch hugged himself. "I'm always the bad guy! I'm just doing my job! I do what is in my nature! I make fear and I bring nightmares and you! You just sit up there judging me and keeping your hands clean! Are we just pawns to you? Are you so bored up there that you have nothing better to do than torment me? Not going to say anything? Big surprise!" Pitch laughed bitterly. "You're cruel." He said quietly. "You're crueler than I ever was."

"Pitch!" North ran up beside him.

A feeling of joy swelled inside of the Nightmare King until he remembered he was supposed to be angry at the Guardian. He turned his back to North. "I'm not speaking to you."

He heard North make a noise. "You are freezing in snow and yet you would still be angry with me?"

Pitch clenched his teeth. "Yes."

To his surprise North chuckled. The Nightmare King grunted when he felt North place his heavy coat on his shoulders. Pitch eyed. "Now you're going to be cold." He pointed out.

The Guardian of Wonder smiled. "I'm more used to it than you are."

"I'm not going to thank you."

"I know."

Pitch frowned and pulled the coat tighter around him. "You lied to me." He said softly.

North's face fell. "I know." He pulled Pitch into his arms. "When Manny came to me with idea I was afraid. I was afraid that you would prove to be untrustworthy and as much as threat as before. I did not think that slight possibility of saving children was enough to take risk." North kissed the top of Pitch's hair. "Then I saw damage Nightmares caused and I knew I couldn't let you go back even if plan didn't work."

"I could have said no." Pitch said against North's chest.

"I would have made you stay."

"You mean force me."

North shrugged. "Semantics."

The Boogeyman frowned. "Was everything a lie?"

"No!" North said emphatically. "Pitch, I've never been happier than I am with you. I love you."

Pitch ignored the fact that his heart sped up at hearing those words. "You shouldn't just throw the words around." He said nonchalantly.

North growled and squeezed the Nightmare King tighter. "You are being stubborn." He sighed. "I understand if you cannot say same thing to me yet." North smiled. "I am patient man."

"You're a fool." Pitch smiled. He closed his eyes and rubbed his cheek against North's shirt. He pulled back and stared the Guardian dead in his eyes. "Never lie to me again." He warned.

North beamed. "Never ever again." He promised.

Their reunion was cut short by a pumpkin bomb landing a foot away. The little bomb cackled wildly as Trick flashed dangerously. North shouted and shoved Pitch away just as it detonated. The Guardian disappeared down into the icy ground.

Samhain walked up, whistling cheerfully and twirling Jack's staff like a cane. "Aw," he pouted. "Your new boyfriend fell down the hole."

"I'm fine, Jack." Bunnymund said hoarsely. "We need to go after North and Pitch."

The ice elf hovered over the Pooka. "Yeah," he said with a nod. Jack still didn't move. Bunny sighed, "A little help, Tooth?"

The Fairy Queen nodded. "Wings up, Ladies!" she flew out the door.

They returned a minute later. "Okay I hate to be _that_ person," Tooth looked flustered. "But I think we may have a problem."

Bunny groaned. "Is it Sam?"

"Mm-mm." Tooth shook her head.

"Worse?"

"Uh…yep. Mm-hmm."

"Fantastic." Bunny got to his feet. "Up for a fight, Sandy?"

The little dream lord smiled. He cracked his sand whips.

A loud, disgusting snuffling noise came from the doorway. A tall hooded figure placed thin, wart-covered fingers on the doorframe. The sniffing noise increased and an obscenely long nose waved in the air like a rudder; its nostrils the size of fists flared as they sucked in air.

The Guardians went into defense mode. "Who is that?" Jack whispered.

Bunny looked sickened. "He's called the Gáttaþefur. He's one of the Jólasveinarnir or Yuletide Lads." Bunny swallowed. "Used to give presents to the good kiddies and crappy things to the bad ones." He frowned. "Or they were _supposed_ to. Unfortunately, they inherited a taste for flesh from their dear old mum and dad."

Jack's eyes went wide. "They ate children?"

The Pooka nodded, keeping close tabs on the Yuletide Lad. "Like they were deep-fried prawns and chips. Can't believe Samhain would ally himself with the likes of them."

The sniffing paused and was replaced by an even more chilling noise.

Laughter.

"We do not work for him." Gáttaþefur's voice was dry and brittle. "Our allegiance is tied to someone who shares our common goal." He sucked in a rattling breath. "The destruction of Nicholas St. North."

Sandman propelled himself forward. The little man lashed his whip at the Doorway Sniffer's head. The creature shrieked with outrage and attempted to rake his claw-like nails over the dream weaver's face. Sandy was faster than that. He slipped under Gáttaþefur's arm and wrapped a whip around his middle. Flinging himself backward, Sandy pulled the Yuletide Lad into the air and slammed him back onto the ground. Not finished with him yet, the Sandman spun in a circle. Gáttaþefur howled.

"Serve him up!" Jack yelled.

Sandy let him go and Gáttaþefur flew toward the ice elf.

Jack sucked in a huge breath of air and blew it back out, freezing the Yuletide Lad midair. The frozen spirit hit the ground a slid the rest of the way. Jack proudly placed his foot on him and smiled.

Bunny looked at him, jaw slack with amazement. "Since when can you do that?" he demanded.

Jack Frost smirked. "I don't have to tell you everything." He pointed out.

Pitch screamed and lunged at Samhain. "You son of a bitch!" he punched Sam in the face.

Sam grunted and nursed the blow. "Well, that was completely uncalled for!" he whined.

Pitch gaped at him for a full second before going on the attack again. "I'll kill you!" he raged. "I'll carve out your eyes!"

Sam ducked and dodged Pitch's erratic swings. "You should be careful—" he warned.

The Nightmare took another wild swing. He slipped on the snow; his balance overshot and tumbled into the hole.

"—Or you'll fall." Samhain finished. He crouched down and peered into the blackness. "Well, _dang_."

Stekkjarstaur frowned. His brother had been frozen by that impudent ice child. The peg-legged spirit stalked the group in the shadows.

Bunny's ear perked up. "Shh!" the Pooka waved a paw. "I heard something."

Stekkjarstaur stopped. He cursed North for having a hardwood floor. Of course, the rabbit would be able to hear him.

What to do? What to do? If he stayed in hiding, the Guardians would move on and there was a chance that Krampus wasn't ready.

Stekkjarstaur stepped forward. "I don't appreciate you harming my brother." He growled.

Jack scowled. "If I had my staff I'd do worse, believe me."

The peg-legged Yuletide Lad smiled. His crooked teeth made Toothiana cringe. "I will enjoy breaking you, child." Stekkjarstaur licked his lips. "And I'll make you into a soup."

Bunnymund took a step forward. "You want him you gotta go through us, goat sucker!"

Stekkjarstaur threw back his head and laughed. "With pleasure!"

Pitch groaned. The Nightmare King was on his back, legs up in the air in a rather undignified position. He righted himself and gazed around. With a slight yelp, he spotted North lying only a few feet from him. Pitch scrambled over to the Guardian. "North?" he yelled. "North!"

The Guardian of Wonder cursed as he stirred. "Am not deaf," North groaned. "Or dead. I just had wind knocked out of me." North looked at Pitch. "How did you get down here?"

Pitch blushed. "I fell after an overzealous attempt to break Samhain's nose." He placed a hand on North's shoulder. "Is anything broken?"

North sat up. "No. I don't believe so."

Pitch sighed with relief. He took of North's coat and draped it over the Guardian's body. "I threw Jack down a crevice you know." The Boogeyman commented. He looked up. "It's only fitting I would end up here."

"Stop talking like that." North frowned. He pulled Pitch close. "We will get out of here."  
"You guys still alive down there?"

North and Pitch both looked up and scowled. They could see Samhain's shadowed form peering down at them. "I was going to wave a white flag," the Halloween King yelled. "But I dropped it. So here's the deal: I'm going to lower down some rope and pull you guys out. Then I'm going to take you back to the shop."

"Why should we trust you?" Pitch demanded.

"Well, I could leave you down there where you can freeze and starve for all eternity or we can call a temporary truce and I'll take you guys back to Santoff Clausen." Sam shrugged. "I just want to talk."

"Lies!" North muttered. He reached over to take Pitch's arm. "We cannot trust him."

Pitch agreed but they had to get out of this hole. "Fine!" he shouted. He ignored North's shout of disbelief. "Lower the rope and pull us up."

"Swear on your title of Nightmare King and Boogeyman not to attack me."

Pitch scowled. "I swear not to attack you." He said grudgingly. "On my honor as Nightmare King and Boogeyman."

"Your turn, North. I'm not an idiot."

"That is debatable." The Guardian said tersely. "I swear not to attack you on my word as Guardian."

A minute later a thick rope fell and Pitch pulled to test it. "It's strong," he told North. "We should be able to climb."

"I will go first." North tried to grab the rope, but Pitch could see in his eyes that it was a bad idea. "Fine," the gift-giver huffed. "You go first."

"We can't attack him, North." Pitch reminded him. "Believe me I would love nothing more than to knock his teeth down his throat."

"You guys know I can hear you?"

"Good!" North and Pitch said in unison.

Sam scowled from where he was kneeling. _Those two_, he growled. _Patience._

Pitch was the first up and Sam gleefully offered him a hand. The Boogeyman stared at him until he lowered it. "I told you to be careful." The Halloween spirit shrugged.

Pitch pointedly ignored him and helped North. The Guardian glared at him for a moment. Sam waved his fingers at him. "Shall we head back? I got somebody who'd just love, love, love to see you, North!"

For a guy who had two wooden legs, Stekkjarstaur was a proving to be a tough opponent.

The spirit was quick and ruthless; not above using the frightened elves as weapons and shields knowing that the others would hesitate to harm them. Bunny and Sandy tried for a double attack. The Sandman aimed his whips for the Yuletide Lad's legs only to have Stekkjarstaur maneuver away.

The Pooka's flurry of kicks and punches were blocked. Bunny suddenly stopped mid-attack and jumped backward…

…just as Phil slammed the dining room table on top of Stekkjarstaur's head. The yeti snarled, lifted the table and brought it crashing down again and again.

After the seventh time, Phil snorted and tossed the table aside. Stekkjastaur was still. The Guardians exchanged a look. Jack ventured forward and poked the Yuletide lad in the hip with his toe.

"That's that." The ice elf smiled.

A clawed hand shot out and grabbed Jack by the leg. Stekkjarstaur climbed to his feet, holding the young Guardian midair. "Stay where you are," the spirit snarled. He pulled a blade from his cloak and held it to Jack's throat. "Or we'll find out what color the whelp bleeds when I slit his throat."

Slowly, the Guardians and yetis lowered their weapons. Stekkjarstaur flashed them a triumphant and cruel grin. "That's what I thought." He sneered. The Jólasveinn cocked his head to the side, listening for something. "It appears they're ready. I would ask that you move into North's observation chamber, but that would make it seem like I'm giving you a choice." The knife pressed closer to Jack's pale flesh. "Get moving."

North and Pitch followed Sam back to North's workshop. The Boogeyman made sure to keep himself between the two because he could hear the violence in North's muttering. He didn't know why he even bothered. Let North beat Sam into a smear on the snow; it would suit him just fine.

But something wasn't right and it was eating at him. Where were the other Guardians? He and North had been out here long enough with Samhain and that should have been enough reason to come running.

_They probably think North and I are in the middle of reconciling._ He shook his head. Even this reason didn't sit well with him.

"Why are you eager to get us back to North's shop?" Pitch asked. "And who exactly is this person who wants to see him?"

Sam threw him a smile. "Spoilers," he put a finger to his lips.

God, he was irritating.

North reached for his hand. Pitch slowed until he was beside the Guardian. "This feels like trap." North whispered. "He is very particular about us going back to shop."

Pitch gave a hum of agreement. "The thought had crossed my mind." He frowned. "Where are the others?"

"I do not know." North narrowed his eyes at Sam's back. "But whoever this 'friend' of Sam's is they'd better not have harmed them."

"We'll find out soon enough." Pitch could see the frozen trail leading up to North's workshop.

The rest of the walk was in silence save for Samhain's cheery whistling. The Halloween spirit tossed another grin over his shoulders before throwing open the shop's doors. "We're here." He called. "This way," Sam gestured to the room with North's globe.

The first thing Pitch and North saw upon entering was a giant version of Sam's Trick or Treat bomb. The pumpkin toy was the size double decker bus with thick green vines trailing out of its sides and attached to the wall. It was silent, its cartoonish eyes raised heavenwards and its mouth frozen in a smile. Ten cloaked figures surrounded the bomb and two kept guard over the sitting forms of the Guardians.

"Hey, guys!" Samhain waved. "Look who finally decided to join the party."

"North!" Tooth shouted. Her baby fairies cheeped happily to see the Guardian unharmed.

"Isn't this a happy reunion?" the Krampus walked from the other side of the giant bomb. North recoiled at the sight of the demon. The Krampus had a black metal chain wrapped around his waist and knotted to one end was a blood-flecked burlap sack. He smiled darkly. "How have you been, North?"

"What are you doing here?" North demanded.

"Oh, we were just in the neighborhood." The demon smiled. "You don't seem happy to see me. Not that it shocks me seeing as how you so cruelly pushed me aside."

The Guardian of Wonder scowled. "You were kidnapping children and sending them to Hell!" he yelled. "Naughty or not, parents notice when children go missing! Manny—"

Krampus roared cutting North off. "As if I give a damn what your precious Man in the Moon thinks!" the hellbeast's lip curled. "I serve another master!" the demon calmed. "You remember the Jólasveinarnir?" he nodded to the beings keeping guard.

North shook his head. "Unbelievable. This is like big 'People I Hate' meeting! What do you want?"

The Yuletide Lads hissed and would have attacked if not for the Krampus's raised hand. The demon smiled again. "We're here to right some wrongs, North."

"And to get me Pitch." Sam piped up.

The Krampus closed his eyes and mentally counted to five. He reopened them and smiled. "Yes." He said slowly. "Relinquish the Nightmare King to Samhain."

"Go to hell!"

"Born and raised there, thank you." The demon chuckled darkly. "I think you might reconsider that if you knew what would happen if you don't. Sam?"

The Halloween spirit grinned. "This is my masterpiece," Sam said. "Took me a few hours to make it. See, you're immortal North but the same can't be said for your little helpers." He looked pointedly at the elves and yetis. "I detonate this bad boy and it'll incinerate every Wookie and Keebler reject in this shop not to mention set your toy-making back a few years." Sam ran his hand along the Trick or Treat bomb's side. It sprang to life, cackling madly as its words flashed faster than its smaller counterparts. "Pitch," he looked at the Boogeyman. "Listen to me. Come with me. If you don't then this bomb will wipe this place off the map. That means no toys. When Christmas rolls around again, the kiddies will wake up and there'll be no gifts under the tree. One by one, they'll stop believing and you know what that means. Come with me, Pitch and I'll turn it off." Sam smiled. He glanced at the bomb. "The choice is yours."

Pitch looked over at North. He smiled sadly.

North's eyes widened. "No, Pitch!" the Guardian looked crushed. "There has to be another way!"

The Nightmare King shook his head in a resigned manner. "You know there isn't." he pressed a kiss on North's cheek. "I will miss all of this," Pitch said sadly. "And you, North."

North tried to grab him but Sam got there first. The Halloween King smiled victoriously as he took Pitch by the hand and yanked him toward the door pausing long enough to run his hand over the pumpkin to shut it down. "We're going to have so much fun." Sam said gleefully. "Oh and in case you get any ideas, you so much as brush that and it'll start up again." He called over his shoulder. "And only I can shut it back down. Food for thought." and with that they were gone.

North moaned and sank to his knees. Pitch was gone. His beautiful Pitch was gone! "No!" the Guardian wailed. He turned a murderous look to the Krampus and the Yuletide Lads. "This was your plan? To take something precious away from me?" he spat. "Congratulations! You won. Now I am miserable like you!"

The Krampus smiled sadly. "Oh North." He tsked. "We never wanted you miserable." The demon took hold of one the vines jutting into the walls. He yanked it free.

"We want you dead."


	7. Chapter 7

The Guardians stared in horror. "What have you done?" North thundered.

The Krampus tossed the vine away. "I would think that's obvious." He smiled. "Destroying your work and as a result ensuring your death."

"Bastard!" North spat.

The demon smiled. "We should be on our way." He turned. "No point in all us being blown away." He started walking away but stopped when he noticed that the Jólasveinarnir weren't following. "Problem, Gentlemen?"

"Our brother, Gáttaþefur." Stekkjarstaur stepped forward. "The ice whelp froze him. He will—"

"—Appreciate us acknowledging his noble sacrifice," the Krampus finished. The demon arched a thick brow. "Surely you didn't expect us to take down North without at least one casualty. Besides, the blast is meant to kill only the elves and yetis. We'll come back for your brother later."

The Jólasveinarnir looked at one another before following Krampus.

The Guardians were left looking at the bomb. "What do we do?" Tooth turned to North.

The Guardian of Wonder looked over at his friends. The yetis and elves stared at him worry evident in their eyes. They had entrusted their lives to him and now look what have come of it. "I do not know." North whispered with shame. He hung his head.

Sam knew that the Krampus had told him to wait outside with Pitch, but the excited spirit just couldn't wait to get the Boogeyman home. He turned his cloak into wings, grabbed Pitch under the arms and carried him back to his home. Sam didn't know what the place Krampus had planned for Pitch was like, but he thought with a few items he could make it feel more like home.

Now if he could just get passed Jack O'Lantern everything would be super.

"Be extra quiet." He told Pitch once they landed.

The Boogeyman just looked at him with this expression of intense loathing.

Sam sighed. "Whatever," he muttered. "As long as you're quiet." He pulled Pitch into the factory and shut the door behind him.

It was dark. Maybe Jack had gone to bed early…

The numerous candelabrums, lamps, and torches used to provide the factory with light all lit at once.

A very ticked off Jack O'Lantern sat in his chair glaring at him, arms folded across his chest.

Well, damn.

"Where have you been?" Jack demanded. He didn't even wait for the chair to let him down instead he jumped out of it.

Sam took a step backward as an angry Jack stormed over. "I was out." He muttered and wouldn't meet Jack's eyes.

"We have work to do!" Jack shouted. "Do you have any idea how much you've set us back production-wise?" it was then the pumpkin-headed spirit noticed Pitch. "What is _he_ doing here?"

Sam's face was riddled with guilt. His hair hung even more in his eyes as he ducked his head. "I took him from North."

Jack looked ready to blow. "You did what?" he screamed. He started pacing. "Of all the irresponsible—" Jack stopped and looked at Sam. "You have to take him back."

Samhain's head jerked up. "What? No! I don't want to give him back!" he protested. "I worked too hard. He's mine!"

"Damn it, Sam!" Jack took the other spirit by the shoulders. He shook him violently. "Listen to me! For once in your existence will you just listen to me? You can't just take people like they're toys! North is in charge of Pitch's punishment not you! Do you have any idea how much trouble you could get in for this? Damn it! This is why the Man in the Moon paired us! You let your emotions rule you too much and look at what happens!" he jerked a thumb at the Nightmare King. "You make bad decisions, Sam! You're always making really bad decisions and it's always up to me to clean them up!"

"But," Sam pulled Pitch forward in a one-armed hug. "He chose to be here."

The Nightmare King snarled and shoved at him. "Like hell I did!" Pitch said vehemently. "I'm only here because you threatened to blow up North's shop and ruin Christmas!"

"YOU _WHAT_?!" flames shot from Jack's mouth. Jack O'Lantern started pacing again. "Oh this is bad! Oh man. Oh man. I think I'm having an aneurysm! Is this what an aneurysm feels like?!" he rounded on Sam. "Are you crazy? Why would you even…? _This_ is what I'm talking about, Sam! What you're doing right now? _This_ is a bad decision." Jack pointed in Pitch's direction. "You are making bad decisions again!"

"I know what I'm doing!" Samhain protested. "I really do this time!"

"NO YOU DON'T!" Jack rubbed the side of his head, feeling a headache coming. "Just…just take him back to North."

Pitch wasn't sure what was going on. He wasn't comfortable with the amount of tension in the room nor was he happy with being discussed like he wasn't there. But the Boogeyman realized that Jack O'Lantern seemed to want him back with North so for now he quietly watched the drama play out.

Sam looked close to tears. He hated when Jack yelled at him like he was a child. "It's not fair." He mumbled. Samhain cringed expecting Jack O'Lantern to yell even more.

Instead the other Halloween spirit sighed heavily. "I know you don't think so, but this is for the best. Take Pitch back." Jack told him. "Take him back and tell North that you're sorry. Okay?"

"I'm afraid that will be more difficult than you imagine." Krampus clomped into the room.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Krampus." He sneered. "I knew there was no way Sam could have thought of all this on his own."

The Krampus bowed. Pitch looked at the demon, ice running through his veins. "What did he mean?" the Nightmare King demanded. He glared at the hellbeast. "What did you mean when you said that it would be difficult?"

The demon smiled a sharp-toothed cruel smile. "I meant that North's shop is no more."

"What?" Pitch felt the room spin. He doubled over and clutched his knees, swallowing back the bile that threatened to spill forth. _He's gone._ Nightmare King felt another wave of despair and nausea. _I need to sit._

"What are you talking about?" Sam demanded. He looked at the demon wildly. "You said the bomb was just a bluff! You said no one would get hurt!"

The Krampus gave him a belittling look. "I lied." He said bluntly. "I'm a demon. We tend to do that."

Samhain looked visibly shaken. "You..." he clutched at his head. "You can't do that! You said once I got Pitch then this whole thing was over!"

"Why would I care about North's whore?" the demon snorted.

"I've heard enough." Jack O'Lantern stepped up. He snapped his fingers and a pumpkin-shaped shield and a straight-edged sword flew to him. "I don't know what you've been filling Sam's head with but it ends now, Krampus!"

The demon smirked. He undid the chain from around his furry waist and tossed the sack to the side. The Krampus snapped the chain and gripped it in his fist. "You don't want to fight me, O'Lantern."

The Pumpkin Lord snorted. "Oh but I think I do." He surged forward bringing his shield up as the demon brought his heavy chain down. He slashed at the demon's naked leg only to have the Krampus jump back. "Stay out of this, Sam." He told the other spirit when it looked like he might intervene. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"Yes," Krampus ran his tongue over his lips in an obscene way. "Plenty of time for that later." He swung the chain. It wrapped around Jack's leg and with a grunt the demon tossed him into the air.

Jack flew through the stairwell's banister and landed hard on the second floor. He got to his feet just as Krampus scaled the wall and joined him. "He thinks he's a big man." The demon commented with a smile. The Krampus glanced back at where Sam and Pitch were watching. A malevolent glint was in the demon's eye. "But when there's someone who's a bit more alpha than him, he folds like a house of cards." Krampus licked his lips again. "I can see why you like having him around."

Jack opened his mouth and shot a pillar of flames at the demon. The Krampus hissed and slid to the side. "You know nothing!" Jack snapped.

"Oh I know plenty!" the demon taunted. He lowered his head and attempted to run the Halloween spirit through with his horns. Sam grabbed them and flipped himself out of the way. "You want to know how easy it was to twist him into my pawn? He was always coming to me and whining. You never listened to him it seems and I—I would." Krampus dealt a brutal kick to Jack O'Lantern's leg. The spirit cried out and tried to stay standing. "And when I listened, I offered advice knowing that the idiot would do whatever I said because he thought I was his _friend_." The Krampus sneered at the word.

Jack sliced at the demon. Blood spurted from a cut on the Krampus's chest and the creature bellowed his outrage. "I'll fix this." Jack O'Lantern swore. "After I send you back to where you belong!" he charged sword held high and brought it down in an arc...

The Krampus grabbed the blade. Blood dripped down the metal but the hellspawn's twisted face showed no hint of pain. He raised a hoofed foot and kicked Jack in the stomach. The Halloween spirit toppled over the broken banister and fell.

Jack landed painfully on his stomach. He groaned. He could see Sam watching him fearfully. "It's okay." He tried to reassure the other Halloween spirit with a smile. "Just…just give me a second." Jack winced. He reached for his sword.

The Krampus's heavy hoof slammed down onto his hand, crushing it. "Ah-ah," the demon scolded. He used his foot to roll Jack onto his back. Krampus cut his eyes over to where Samhain was watching before looking back at his fallen foe. The demon smiled down at him as he raised his foot. "He's my bitch now."

Sam screamed at the sight of the demon bringing down his hoof on top of Jack O'Lantern's head. "Jack! No! No! Nuh!" the Halloween spirit ran forward. He tripped and crawled the rest of the way. "Jack? Oh god! Jack!" Samhain took the mess of pulp and shattered rind into his hands. "You're okay." He muttered. "You're going to be okay. Right? Right?! You're going to be okay, Jack."

"Oh dear." The Krampus shook his hoof in an attempt to clean it. "Guess you lot aren't immortal after all. Pity."

Sam stared at him. "Why?" he was openly weeping now. "Why would you do this?"

The Krampus rolled his eyes. "He was in my way." The demon said simply. "I removed him. Now get up. I've wasted enough time here." He looked over at Pitch. "It's time to take the Nightmare King to his new home."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Samhain cried. He cradled a broken piece of Jack's guord against his chest. "This is all wrong. I thought—! You said—!" Sam broke down again. "No one was supposed to get hurt…"

The Krampus was done feigning patience. He knocked off Sam's floppy hat, grabbed him by the hair, and yanked him to his feet. "You listen to me and you listen well! I'm not Jack O'Lantern! I'm not going to coddle you or listen to your simpering and weeping!" the demon gnashed his teeth. "You will obey me or you will go in my sack. And trust me," Krampus narrowed his eyes menacingly. "You don't want to go in there. Are we clear?"

Sam whimpered and nodded. The Krampus smiled and dropped him. "Good. Let's go then. I'm sure the Jólasveinarnir have finished getting your new home ready for you, Pitch." The demon grinned.

The trip back to the Krampus's cave was a quiet and quick one. Using his chain to open a portal against the wall, the demon had them back at the Alps in no time.

Sam was unresponsive. He still held a piece of Jack's pumpkin head and he'd gone through three faces so far. His new one was kittenish with large almond shaped eyes that only made his sorrowful expression worse.

Pitch had his own problems. The spirit was in deep in mourning. North was gone. His new home was gone and so was the family he had come to find in the other Guardians and North's helpers.

All gone.

It felt like something inside him was breaking. Pitch wiped at his eyes. No. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing his tears.

"Here we are." Krampus smiled as they made their way through his tunnels. The demon waved a hand. "Your new home."

Pitch blinked. It was a metal barred door. The Krampus opened it and ushered them inside. The room was made of stone. Seemingly carved into the side of the mountain, the room was spartan. There was a bed, a wash basin, and a small stone table with a chair. It was cold and impersonal and looked exactly like what it was supposed to be:

A prison cell.

The ceiling was open and Pitch could see the stars in the sky, but try as he might he could not see the moon.

"Don't bother," the Krampus sneered. "The Man in the Moon won't be able to see you. I made sure of that." The demon gestured around the room. "This is well you will spend the rest of your days, Pitch. I'm not sure how your influence was destroyed eight years ago when you were stuck underground but I hypothesize it was from the lack of exposure to the Moon's light." He pointed up. "This will allow your fear to stay active, but it won't allow the Man in the Moon to find you and help you." The demon smiled meanly. "Not that he would." Krampus turned. "Coming Sam?"

Samhain had taken the seat at the table his back to them both. The spirit silently stared at the broken piece of pumpkin in his hands. The Krampus snorted and shook his head. "Useless," he muttered and left. The cell door slid shut.

Pitch whirled around. He stalked over to Samhain and struck him across the face. "This is all your fault!" he snarled into Sam's face. "Why couldn't just leave things alone? I was happy! I was finally getting better and you come along and ruin everything! Why? You already said that you didn't love me!" the Boogeyman glared. "Has there been anyone you ever cared about?"

Samhain stared at the pumpkin piece. "Jack." He whispered. "I loved Jack."

"What do we do?" Tooth turned to North.

"I do not know."

Bunny swallowed hard. "Right," he muttered. "Nobody panic, but I'm going to try something." The Easter Bunny walked over to the bomb and reached for it.

"Bunny! Get away from that!" Toothiana cried.

The Pooka tossed her a look. "Like my being five inches away is going to make a difference." Bunny placed a paw on the bomb.

It stopped flashing.

_Treat_: the words read. Two slots opened at the topped and confetti blew out. The Trick or Treat bomb split open and a mountain of Halloween candy fell onto the floor. The elves cheered and dove into the pile and immediately started stuffing their mouths.

The others cheered too, running forward and hugging the relieved Easter Bunny. "Bunny!" North kissed the Pooka's cheeks. "How did you do that?"

Aster grinned. Reaching into his bandolier he pulled out a small zip-loc bag and allowed them to see inside it.

It was a four-leafed clover.

"Won it off the Leprechaun during our last poker game," Bunny explained. "Cheap bastard didn't want to give up his pot of gold." The Pooka grinned even more. "He's absolute rubbish at cards."

That got another cheer. The elves joined in, mouths bulging with chocolate. "So what now?" Jack asked.

North snorted. "Now we go get Pitch." He frowned. "Where do you think Samhain took him?"

"No idea," Bunny shrugged. The rabbit's ears suddenly jolted. "You hear that?"

The others looked around. "Hear what?" Jack asked.

"I dunno. Sounds like a motorbike."

They heard the work shop's door being broken down and the thunderous noise of a motorcycle. The Guardians went into defense mode thinking their foes had returned. Imagine their surprise when the motorcycle drove toward them and stopped six feet away. "Well," a strange spirit commented. "I'm glad to see that the Krampus's tale about your demise was just another one of his lies." He propped his bike up on a kickstand.

North eyed the stranger. The newcomer was tall with an athletic build and black hair tied back into a simple ponytail. The man's skin was emerald green and he donned all black under his leather duster. The stranger was looking at them over with slight interest in his bright orange eyes. "And who would you be?" the Guardian of Wonder asked.

The spirit smiled slowly. "I'm Jack O'Lantern, the Pumpkin King."

Pitch stared down at him. "You loved Jack?" his voice dripped with skepticism. "Since when?"

"A while," Sam replied. He rubbed his finger along the grooves. "When the Man in the Moon paired us I thought he was a total poser with that stupid pumpkin schtick, but we had so much fun. He could play pranks like the best of 'em and one night after a really great Halloween we ended up in bed." Samhain sounded wistful. "It was great…or at least I thought it was. The next day he acted like nothing happened."

Pitch looked away. He knew exactly how _that_ felt. Samhain continued. "After that he just ignored me. It was just business, business, business. He stopped wanting to have fun and cared more about making the best candy. I was in charge of making sure that the kids safely got them and remembered to have fun."

"So why were you with me?" the Boogeyman asked. "If you were so in love with him why be with me?"

Sam finally looked up at him. "To make him jealous," he shrugged. "Jack hated you. He thought you were a bad influence."

"_I_ was a bad influence?!" That was a laugh! Every hare-brained thing they did together was Samhain's idea! Pitch frowned. "So you just used me? I was just a tool?"

Pitch lunged forward and wrenched the remains of Jack O'Lantern's head from Sam's hands. The Halloween King shrieked and tried to take it back but the Nightmare King dodged him.

"Give it back!" Samhain pleaded with emotion he hadn't shown for hours. "Please!"

"No!" Pitch kicked at him. Fire danced in his eyes. "Why should you have a memento of your lover when I don't?" he demanded through clenched teeth. "This all your fault." Pitch's eyes flashed. "Everything is! You destroyed me, Sam! You belittled me, crushed me, and made me think that I would never find happiness in another person! And all because you and Jack _couldn't talk to each other like fucking adults_!"

"Please, Pitch!" Samhain was weeping. His face was unraveling at the edges.

"I should destroy it." The realization sent a gleeful thrill through him. It would be easy. He could smash it to pieces beneath his heel and that would be that. "You have any idea how much I hate you and what you've done?" he raised the shell. "You helped kill a wonderful man today."

"He wasn't supposed to die!" Sam tugged at his skin, pulling a long strip down the side of his face. "Krampus told me no one would get hurt. He told me we were just going to force North to give him and the Jólasveinarnir their old jobs back!"

"And you trusted him?" Pitch spat. "He's a bloody demon, Sam!"

"I know! I know!" the Halloween King fell to his knees and blubbered. He hugged himself and cried while Pitch just watched. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry."

The Nightmare King made a noise of disgust and threw the piece back. "Take it!" he sneered. Sam snapped it midair and cradled it against him, moaning with relief. Pitch walked around him and sat on the bed. "What did I ever see in you?" Pitch muttered. He sighed and closed his eyes. Pitch reopened his eyes and stared up at the sky. What happened to a Guardian after they died? What happened to any spirit after they died? He had known many demons and nightshades that were forgotten and simply ceased to exist. Pitch shivered. _Oh North._ The Boogeyman felt a tear come to his eye. He lay down on his side and stared at the wall. _I never even told him._ Pitch realized. _He died without even knowing that I loved him._

Samhain was still over by the table quietly sobbing and Pitch started doing the same.

"I'm sorry," Bunny frowned. "You're Jack O'Lantern?"

The handsome green-skinned spirit smiled slightly. "That's what I said."

"Shouldn't ya have a…" the Pooka used his paw to make circling gesture around his head.

Pumpkin Jack frowned. "That was taken from me," he ground out. "Courtesy of the Krampus's hoof." The Halloween spirit sighed. "I guess you could say that this is my default setting. Takes me a while to get my pumpkin head back so I'm stuck with this one."

"I think it's lovely." Tooth sighed, longingly. Her fairies cooed their agreement. The others looked at her. The Tooth Fairy blushed. "What I mean is," she stammered. "Is why not keep it? Try something new?"

Jack O'Lantern frowned. "Because the pumpkin was part of my image." He looked at his hands. "Without it, I'm just some weirdo with a skin condition."

"He's got a point." Bunny commented.

Jack eyed what remained of the pumpkin bomb. Stepping over bloated elves he moved in for a closer look. "So it's true." He murmured thoughtfully. "Oh Sam. What have you done?"

"What he has done is get Pitch kidnapped!" North snapped. "When I find him I will be sticking boot where sun does not shine!"

Jack O'Lantern rounded on him, eyes flashing. "You're not going to touch Sam!" he warned. "It's hardly his fault that Pitch Black brings out the worse in him! This is so typical! He's always putting Sam in harm's way!"

North's jaw dropped. He swelled with anger. "Pitch is not to blame! He did not ask to be taken!"

"Yes, but he's always causing trouble!" Pumpkin Jack countered. "Always pulling my poor Sammy into his little schemes!"

"You watch your mouth."

Jack O'Lantern frowned. "I heard that he had you spellbound." He muttered. "But I thought they were exaggerating. Wake up, North! Pitch Black is an evil manipulative—"

"Boys!" Tooth flew in between the two and held out her arms. "Okay let's settle down!" she tried to interject.

Jack sidestepped her. "Whore!" he finished, defiantly. "I don't imagine him being in much trouble. He spread his legs to get you under his thumb. I imagine he's doing the same thing for the Krampus!"

North's shock bled away to rage. He charged past Toothiana and socked Jack O'Lantern in his square jaw. "You will silence your poisonous tongue or I rip it out!" the Guardian seethed.

Jack O'Lantern dabbed at his nose. He narrowed his eyes when he saw blood. "Oh you wanna dance, Fat Man?" he snarled. A ball of flames formed in the palm of the Pumpkin King's hand and he fashioned it into a sword. "Cuz we can dance!"

North sneered and widened his stance. "I will rip off your head and see if new one grows."

"You can try, Kringle!" Jack launched forward, arm raised. North dodged the first attack and managed to land a blow in Jack's middle, but the Pumpkin King grabbed onto his arm and kicked at his leg.

"Oi!" Bunnymund shouted as North lifted Jack into the air and flung him among the remains of dinner. "We don't have time for this!"

They weren't listening.

Jack grabbed a goblet and smashed it over North's head.

North retaliated by trying to drown Jack O'Lantern in the stew's tureen.

Jack responded by trying to drive a fork into the back of North's hand.

Finally Sandy sighed and whipped up two balls of dream sand. The little man floated above the two spirits (who were now just grappling and rolling over the smashed remainders of dinner) and let them fall on their heads.

North and Jack collapsed on the spot, dreaming of candy canes and dancing skeletons respectively.

Pitch decided that he wasn't fond of crying. It made him feel weak. The Boogeyman was sitting up in the bed, his back against the wall. Samhain had finally ceased his weeping and was staring at his pumpkin piece. The Nightmare King's brow furrowed. "Wait," he looked over at his reluctant cellmate. "Didn't you tell me once that you slept with naiads?"

Sam looked up at him. His new face resembled a version of Pierott the Clown with a black tear drop under his right eye and bright red lips. "I lied."

Pitch frowned. "What about Cupid and the Japanese and Greek spirits and the April Fool?"

"Also lies." Samhain looked down. "I just wanted to break up with you. So I said the things I knew would hurt you so you'd leave me alone."

"But why?"

"Because it wasn't working!" the Halloween King snapped. He looked guiltily at his hands. "The whole point was to make Jack jealous and for him to pay more attention to me, but when I told him I was sleeping with you ya know what he said? 'Oh. Well, to each his own' and then he went back to his stupid book! He didn't even care!" Sam said angrily. "I was fooling around with the spirit he despised—"

"Despised?" Pitch repeated, incredulously. What the hell had he ever done to Jack O'Lantern?

"—And the most I got was 'oh'!" Sam's face crumpled. "I just wanted him to care or at least treat me like I was just as important as finding the perfect Halloween treat."

Pitch had no response for that. They sat silently for a few minutes.

"I suppose that explains it." the Boogeyman suddenly commented.

Sam lifted his head just enough to look at him. "Hmm?"

"Why you were so terrible at topping." Pitch clarified. "You'd never done it before."

"I wasn't terrible—" Samhain started to protest, but a look from Pitch shut him down. "Shit." He muttered. "You never said anything."

Pitch shrugged. "I wasn't going to critique your technique when you were already moody and unpredictable."

Samhain digested that information. "I was really terrible to you." He said softly.

Pitch's eyes narrowed. "Yes," he said acidly. "You were."

Sam placed the pumpkin piece onto his lap. "I'm sorry."

"Apology not accepted."

Sam's head snapped up. Pitch stared at him. "You don't really expect me to just forgive you at the drop of hat?" he sneered. "You put me through hell, Samhain! I hated you and I hated myself for always letting you back into my life! You were a mistake." he took a deep breath. God, it felt good to say that. "A mistake I kept making because I didn't want to be alone! You were selfish, inconsiderate, and abusive and I will never forgive you for that!"

Sam lowered his eyes. "Okay."

Pitch sighed. "But," he added. "Taking in how utterly pathetic you are right now I might be able to find in my heart to tolerate your presence as well as suppress the urge to castrate you." The Boogeyman folded his arms and looked away. "But that's all you'll get from me."

The Halloween King smiled slightly. "Thanks, Pitchy."

"And don't call me 'Pitchy'. I always hated that."

Tooth looked at North and Jack with displeasure. "Now, that you boys have had a little nap we can assess the situation with cooler heads."

The Guardian of Wonder was on one side of the room, sitting and glaring across at Jack O'Lantern. The only thing keeping North from walking over there and smacking that smug face was Phil's hand on his shoulder, keeping him in place.

Toothiana shook her head she fluttered between them. "Some things were said," she continued. "Hurtful and terrible things that I'm sure no one meant."

Jack and North both snorted at that. The Tooth Fairy gave them both equally molten glares. "Regardless! We are all rational beings and we know that there is a time and a place to have squabbles and _this_ is not that time." Tooth's face softened. "You're both worried about Sam and Pitch so the best thing to do would be to find out where they are so we can get them."

"We already got the element of surprise on our side." Bunny piped up. "They expected that bomb to go off."

Tooth nodded vigorously. "Exactly! Now if we only knew where they were—"

Baby Tooth flew out from Jack's hoodie and cheeped excitedly at her queen. Tooth listened and her entire face lit up with a smile. "That's genius!" she turned to the others. "We can thaw out Gáttaþefur and question him."

"What if he doesn't want to talk?" Jack Frost asked.

"Then we make him." Bunnymund told him and to drive the point home, Sandman popped his knuckles and set his pudgy face grimly.

Stekkjarstaur and another of the Yule Lads walked into the cell. The tall Jólasveinn smirked at Pitch. "I assumed you would have killed each other by now. Oh well." The Yuletide Lad motioned for his sibling. "Bjúgnakrækir, if you'd please."

The portly, greasy-skinned Yuletide Lad waddled forward. He held a wooden box in his thick, warty hands. Pitch got an odd sense of déjà vu. Stekkjarstaur opened the box and pulled out a pair of manacles connected in the center by a chain.

Pitch eyed them and then looked at the Yuletide Lads. "What's the point?" he asked. "I have no powers. I can't escape."

The Jólasveinarnir laughed their wheezy ugly laughs. "The point is to break you," Bjúgnakrækir said merrily. "The Krampus wants to drive in how hopeless your situation is."

Pitch scowled as Stekkjarstaur clamped the manacles over the gold bracelets. They covered the bracelets completely and for some reason that left a sour taste in the Nightmare King's mouth. When the Yuletide Lad turned his back, Pitch lifted his arms and brought them over his head. Pitch pulled the chain tight around Stekkjarstaur's throat strangling the surprised spirit. "If you think I can be broken by the likes of you then you're sadly mistaken." The Boogeyman hissed in the Jólasveinn's ear. "I'm not some shivering, simpering weakling!" the chain bit into Stekkjarstau's flesh.

"What's this?" the Krampus stood on the threshold of the cell, eyeing the situation with the barest of interest. "You seem to be strangling my ally, Pitch."

The Nightmare King bared his teeth angrily. "Back off!" he warned. "I'll break his neck."

"Now really Pitch, there's no need to misbehave." The demon smiled in a condescending way. "After all you're stuck here so why not make the best of it?"

"Are you really that dense?" Pitch spat. "You expect me to sit here and just do whatever you tell me? Ha!" Stekkjarstaur cried out as the chain tightened even more. "If you wanted me to be on my best behavior then you shouldn't have foolishly killed the one person that would ensure it!"

"Oh Pitch," the Krampus whispered in his ear. The Boogeyman screamed and dragged the Jólasveinn as he scrambled away. Pitch hadn't even seen the demon move but lo and behold Krampus was standing behind him. "I don't need North to ensure you behave yourself." The hellspawn smiled. He lashed out with his chain. The heavy metal hit the Boogeyman in the arm, eliciting a scream from him.

Stekkjarstaur escaped the Nightmare King's loosened grip and ran. Krampus's blood-red eyes took on a delighted gleam as he brought the chain back down again and again. The demon floored the Nightmare King and continued to beat him mercilessly.

Finally, after seven brutal minutes, he stopped. Pitch lay on the ground, bloody and broken. The Krampus toed the Boogeyman's unresponsive body. He looked over at Samhain who sat looking terrified in the corner. "I think I'll move this to another location." He smiled a sharp-tooth smile. "I want to finish this conversation in a more…private setting." The Krampus grabbed Pitch by one his arms and started dragging him to the door "In the meantime," he turned to the Jólasveinarnir. "Someone find him some new manacles. I can't have him strangling everyone who comes into his cell!"

Jack O'Lantern stood by Jack Frost as he examined the block ice that encased Gáttaþefur. "Well," he said at last. "You were thorough."

Jack Frost beamed.

Bunny rolled his eyes. "I don't think he meant it as a compliment." He told the ice elf.

Jack's face fell. "Oh."

Jack O'Lantern took a deep breath and breathed out a long stream of flames. The ice around the Jólasveinn melted away and the wet and shivering creature fell to the floor.

"Whoa!" Jack Frost whistled. "That was awesome."

The Halloween spirit grimaced. "Yeah well, it's easier with my pumpkin head." He burped. "Ugh, god! It's like a bad case of acid reflux!" Jack grimaced.

Bunny leaned over the fallen Jólasveinn and yanked off his hood. There was a collective sharp intake of breath as everyone present was given a view of Gáttaþefur's features.

Beneath a thick white unibrow the Jólasveinn's eyes were sewn shut with dirty twine. His massive nose was on full display and it seemed to dwarf the rest of Gáttaþefur's features. A thick tongue flicked nervously to wet thin, flaking lips. Gáttaþefur's face was gaunt and sallow and he turned it this way and that as he sniffed the air, trying desperately to determine who was where.

Unfortunately, Jack Frost's attack had done him no favors and for the first time in his existence Gáttaþefur felt truly blind. Still, he sneered at the Guardians baring crooked, stained teeth in a ferocious manner.

"We got some questions for ya," Bunny got over his shock first. The Pooka scowled. "The Krampus took Pitch. We wanna know why and where."

Gáttaþefur turned toward the sound of the Easter Bunny's voice. "I'll tell you nothing, rodent!" the Jólasveinn spat. The glob of spit came dangerously close to Bunnymund's foot and the Pooka hopped back.

"Oi!" the Easter Bunny snapped. "Watch it."

"_Bunny_!" Tooth sounded scandalized.

Aster frowned. "Look, firstly that was unintentional. Secondly, I'm not going to be polite to the fuckwit that just spat at me!" he kicked Gáttaþefur in the side of the head. "Donger!"

"You're going about this all wrong." Toothiana rolled her eyes. She fluttered down until her toes touched the floor. "Hello," she said cheerily to Gáttaþefur. "I was wondering if you would be a dear and answer a few teensy questions for us."

"Get stuffed, you feathery cunt!"

Tooth's eyes widened slightly, but then she laughed gaily. "Girls?" she called to her fairies. "If you'd please."

Five mini fairies flittered forward holding a medium-sized black case. Tooth hummed happily as she took it in her hands, 'Thank you, ladies." She turned back to Gáttaþefur. "Now I want you to remember that I gave you enough of an opportunity to talk." The Tooth Fairy started to undo the bag's clasps.

The others leaned forward to get a better look.

"Holy shit, Tooth!" Bunny squawked. "The hell is that?"

Tooth looked at him wide-eyed an innocent. "These are pliers." She said as if amazed that everyone didn't know that.

"I know what they are," Bunny looked at the others. They shrugged. "What I meant was—why do need those?"

"For questioning."

Gáttaþefur jumped as Toothiana took one of his hands. The Jólasveinn tried to yank himself free but the Fairy hit him hard across the face with her tool. "None of that," Tooth scolded him like he was a naughty child. "Now, we want to know why Krampus took Pitch."

She used the pliers to pull out one of Gáttaþefur's claw-like nails and the Yuletide Lad howled. "You bitch!"

Tooth frowned. "Please watch your language when addressing me." She pulled out another nail. "I am a lady. Now answer the question."

"You're all just going to stand there and watch her do this?! Auugh! Shit!"

"You only have ten fingers, Gáttaþefur. If you don't cooperate I'll be forced to move to your toes and those horrible teeth." The Fairy said with the same tone someone would use when discussing the weather. "I might even break your nose. I don't know. I haven't really given it much thought." She removed the final three nails and placed them on the floor. The Yuletide Lad was screaming and crying. He tried to strike her, but she cuffed him twice with the pliers and kicked him in the stomach for an added effect. "Now for the other hand."

Gáttaþefur screamed and slid away. "I'll talk!" he yelped. "I'll talk!" the Jólasveinn took a shuddering breath. "The original plan was to force North to give us our former positions back, but the demon knew you'd never let us near your brats even if your lover was taken." He swallowed. "So the Krampus decided that the only thing to do was to kill you. That way we would have free reign of the Christmas season and there would be no one from stopping us wreaking havoc!" the Yuletide Lad grinned.

"I understand that part," Jack O'Lantern frowned. "But why keep Pitch? It's clear he's still being imprisoned."

"Because he ruined us!" the Jólasveinn snarled bitterly. "Those eight years he was trapped underground everything and everyone having to rely on fear's influence found themselves weakened. The Krampus is still popular in some parts of Europe, but during that time his influence was weakened. Sure, they still held their annual _Krampusnacht_ festivals but it wasn't the same."

"I know what he means." Pumpkin Jack turned to them. "Sam complained about it. He said there were no real scares happening. People were just going through the motions. It felt…forced."

"Yes." Gáttaþefur sneered. "It was one thing for Pitch to get himself in trouble but his foolishness did damage to the rest of us! He had to be punished too."

Jack O'Lantern moved over to the Yuletide Lad and knelt down. "But what about Sam? I find it hard to believe he'd go along with murder."

Gáttaþefur snorted. "The Krampus told him that we were to use the bomb as a scare tactic." He chuckled mirthlessly. "There was no way we'd let him in on the actual plan, he'd never go through with it. The idiot's so eager to please and so naïve." He laughed again. "Not to mention easy to manipulate. You pat his head and throw him a few compliments and the bastard is following you around like a puppy."

Jack O'Lantern frowned deeply. The urge to crush Gáttaþefur's gigantic proboscis under his boot heel was strong. "If anything happens to him I'll rip off your arm and beat you with it." he promised. The Jólasveinn blanched. "Where are they?"

"T-The Krampus's mountain lair." Gáttaþefur stammered. "In the Alps."

"Everyone to the sleigh!" North ordered.

"Yeah, no." Jack O'Lantern headed for his bike. "I got my own ride."

The Guardians followed North who was firing off orders to the yetis. Phil grabbed Gáttaþefur by his hood and tossed him into a closet for safe keeping. "So," Jack Frost said conversationally to Bunny. "Are we just going to completely ignore the fact that Tooth knows torture methods?"

"I'm more than willing to let it slide." The Pooka sidled up beside him. "But _you_ can feel free to ask her about it." he arched a brow.

"Hell no."


	8. Chapter 8

Sam chewed on his thumbnail. It was bad habit that Jack had always scolded him over, but the Halloween spirit just couldn't help it. It felt like hours had passed since the Krampus had dragged an unconscious Pitch Black from the cell and who knew what the demon was doing. I should go get him, Samhain thought. It wasn't as if Krampus had imprisoned him. He was just staying in the cell because…well because…

_I'm scared. _

Oh, he so needed Jack right now. The Pumpkin King would have told him everything was going to be okay. Sure he would have said it like, "Sam, will you stop worrying? You're going to get sweat in the chocolates." But it's the sentiment that counted.

Stekkjarstaur opened the cell and walked inside. He was carrying a tin tray with two bowls. "Dinner." The Jólasveinn sneered. He dropped the tray on the table.

"Where's Pitch?" Sam tried and failed to keep the tremor out his voice.

The Yuletide blinked as if he just realized the Boogeyman was missing. A slow, cruel smile came over his face. "Is he still playing with the Krampus?" he laughed meanly. "I thought they'd be done by now."

Samhain shuddered. The Yuletide laughed again before leaving him alone. The Halloween King peered into the bowl. It was filled with thick grey gruel with tiny chunks of some sort of unidentifiable meat. The Halloween spirit stared at it before moving to the opposite side of the room. If what he heard about the Jólasveinarnir was true then he had a pretty good idea what the main ingredient of that slop was and there was no way he'd eat it. _I hope Pitch is okay._ The Nightmare King may not have been his biggest fan at the moment, but he was a familiar and that was what all Sam could ask for at the moment.

"Wake up. I didn't drag you all this way just so you could get a nap."

Pitch groaned as he forced his eyes opened. His eyes were assaulted by a bright light and he winced. His entire body ached and Pitch could feel his head throb. Once he became even more coherent, he discovered that he was chained to a wall. The Krampus sat across from him, smiling smugly. "Sleep well?"

Pitch sneered. "Like a baby," he told him. He jiggled the chains. "Well, it seems as if your Teutonic roots are showing or am I just lucky enough to help with your S & M fantasies?"

The Krampus chuckled. "You're still being obstinate. No matter." The demon grunted as he got out of his chair. "I'll soon remedy that."

The Nightmare King snorted. "Please. It'll take more than a few love taps to get me to roll over for you."

"I know." The demon gestured to the small table. "I'm sure by now you've obviously noticed Mr. Fluffles."

"Is that the rabbit?"

"Yes, that's the rabbit."

Well, obviously Pitch had noticed the rabbit. The white flop-eared bunny sitting in its hutch chewing on a piece of lettuce with complete concentration was placed next to the Krampus's sack. It appeared to be a normal bunny but because it seemed at ease with the demon's presence it made Pitch wary. "Mr. Fluffles?"

The Krampus nodded and opened the hutch. He took the rabbit into his arms. "Found the poor thing near dead by the side of my mountain. Nursed him back to health and decided to keep him as a pet. I sometimes do that." He placed Mr. Fluffles on the cave floor. Krampus grabbed the sack off the table and threw it on the floor.

Pitch watched with horrified fascination as the sack opened and meaty pink tentacles slid out. The appendages were covered in bright purple barbs and clear viscous fluid leaked from it. They latched onto the rabbit and it screamed as if the tentacles burned. Slowly, Mr. Fluffles was dragged back to the sack. The bag opened and revealed a quivering, tooth rimmed maw before pulling the rabbit inside and closing. Mr. Fluffles struggled inside it for a full minute before everything went silent and the bag returned to its seemingly innocent state.

The Krampus picked it up and dusted it off. "You see I liked Mr. Fluffles even if he was starting to bore me." The demon explained. He leveled a cold look at the Boogeyman. "I don't like you." The Krampus smiled. "So you see I don't need North's fat carcass to keep you in line. I can just you my various methods to persuade you to behave yourself."

Pitch swallowed thickly. "You can't kill me." He said with more bravado than he felt. "That was the point of the special cell, right?"

"I won't kill you." Krampus agreed. His smile grew wider and it chilled Pitch to his very bones. "Oh, but who says you need both your arms? Would it matter if the Nightmare King only had one leg or no legs? I don't think so. And I don't have to let the sack eat you. No, no, no. With a simple tap of a finger, I can get the bag to transport you to hell where my demon brethren would be waiting to…_play_. And mark my words, when they were done with you you'd be as docile as a day-old kitten. So, no Pitch I won't kill you but I can make you wish for death."

Jack grinned as he rode next to Bunny. The Pooka had a death grip on the side of the sleigh, his eyes were closed, and he was quietly muttering over and over to himself. "Are you okay?" the ice elf questioned.

Aster managed to crack an eyelid. "Oh I'm bonzer." The Easter Bunny gagged slightly. "North?" he called to the Guardian. "Ya mind slowin' down a bit? I'd hate to ruin the paint job."

"_Nyet_!" North shouted over the wind. "We must get to Pitch!" and to Bunnymund's dismay he snapped the reins and urged the reindeer to go even faster.

"Carn!" Bunny moaned. Jack placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

Jack Frost turned when he heard the thundering sound of a motorcycle. Jack O'Lantern pulled up beside the sleigh riding his bike. A black scarf was wrapped around the lower half of the Halloween spirit's face and he wore a pair of thick goggles to protect his eyes from the stinging wind. Jack O'Lantern's ponytail snapped in the wind like whip from under his helmet. He turned his head and gave the sleigh's riders a salute before gunning it. "His motorcycle flies." Jack Frost commented.

Bunny hadn't even opened his eyes. "Yeah."

"Like that one in the Harry Potter book?" Jaime used to let him borrow those.

"Yeah." Bunny said again. "Try not to mention it around him though. He gets testy. Got it into his head that the author stole it from him."

Jack frowned. "J.K. Rowling? He thinks that she used his flying bike in her book? She's an adult! She doesn't even know he exists!"

"Hey! _I_ know that and _you_ know that. I'm just sayin' that that fruit loop thinks she did! And he goes all agro on you if you say otherwise." Bunny snorted. "Like he thinks he has a bloody monopoly on flying motorbikes."

The Krampus had Stekkjarstaur return Pitch to his cell. The Jólasveinn noticed the change in the Nightmare King's demeanor and decided that the demon's little talk with him had done the job. "Not so high and mighty now?" he sneered.

Pitch's golden eyes turned to the other spirit. "Sorry, did you say something? I was too busy imagining you with another chain around your neck."

Stekkjarstaur hissed. "I thought the Krampus taught you to fear us!"

"He taught me to fear _him_." Pitch clarified. He smirked. "I don't think he gives a damn about you lot."

The Yuletide Lad ground his teeth. He yanked Pitch back by the arm and breathed his foul-smelling breath into the Nightmare King's face. "And what if I decide to teach you to respect me?"

The Boogeyman stared at him coolly. "I'm shaking." He drawled with a roll of his eyes. "Care to return me to my cell? It's getting late and the sun's almost up."

Stekkjarstaur blinked. His cheek twitched in irritation. He longed to strike the uppity spirit but he knew that Pitch had a point. Stekkjarstaur scowled and shoved Pitch to get him moving. Even though the Krampus had scared Pitch into behaving, his good behavior didn't extend to the Jólasveinarnir. He could make a complaint about the Boogeyman's disrespectful behavior, but what was the point?

Nicholas St. North was dead and so was the alliance.

Stekkjarstaur sighed through his nose. He'd take the diva back to his cell and he and his brothers would leave this place. Let the hellspawn deal with his new guest.

Sandy stared worriedly at North. His friend had a manic expression his face as he drove his reindeer. He was driving them so hard that the poor creatures were starting to foam at the mouth. This wasn't like Christmas where they had a few hours to deliver presents all over the planet. North wanted to find the Krampus's lair within minutes and no matter how strong his magic may be, there was no way they would move that quickly. Sanderson tugged on the other Guardian's sleeve.

"What is it Sandy?" North asked impatiently.

The dream weaver formed a picture of the reindeer. He showed them grazing and drinking water.

"We have no time for stopping." North protested.

Sandman frowned. Tooth leaned forward. "North we have to stop now." She pleaded. "You're not thinking straight."

"I am thinking that Pitch is in danger and needs rescuing!" The other Guardian bit out. Why were they acting this way?

Toothiana's feathers fluffed angrily. "Nicholas St. North, you land this sleigh this instant!"

North sighed and relented. The sleigh landed on a grassy knoll and he climbed out and kicked the side of it angrily. "_Chyort voz'mi_!" He gave them each an apologetic pat on the flanks. "We are wasting time!"

Jack O'Lantern must have noticed that they weren't behind him. "What the hell?" the Halloween spirit yelled as soon as he turned off his bike. He yanked down his scarf and scowled. "We don't have time for a break!"

North frowned. "I was not one who suggested stopping!" He said.

Jack turned to the others. "What's the deal? I thought you bunch were all gung-ho about saving Pitch."

"We want to save Pitch." The Tooth fairy told him. She frowned. "But we need to think about this clearly." Tooth stated. "We've got no plan. We just can't go barging in there!"

"Here is plan," North shouted. "Go to Krampus's lair and beat tar out of him!"

"Seconded." Jack O'Lantern agreed.

"That's dumb!" Tooth cried. "They outnumber us North and with you so focused on Pitch and making stupid decisions—"

"What?" North bellowed. He surged forward and looked the fairy dead in the eyes. "What stupid decisions have I been making, Toothiana?"

The Fairy Queen would not be cowed. "Well," she said calmly. "For starters, mind telling me why we didn't take a portal?"

North gasped.

She nodded. "_Exactly_. The second we found out where Pitch was you told us to get in the sleigh, but instead of saving time by taking a moment to get a snowglobe you've been driving us for hours! North," Tooth placed her hands on the Guardian's face. "You are going to kill the reindeer if you keep overexerting them like this! They've never crossed this distance without the use of magic before! Give them time to rest."

"You're their master!" Jack O'Lantern shouted. "They should do what you say."

"No," North sighed. "Tooth is right. I have been acting like careless fool. It will not hurt to take break. Give reindeer time to feed. I am sorry, my friends." North bowed his head. "I…I worry about what that demon is doing to Pitch and I fear for him, but that is no reason to treat you all so badly."

"We understand," Tooth took his hand in hers. "We know how much you love Pitch and his abduction must be killing you, but we need to think about this. We need to plan." She looked over at the Pumpkin king and frowned.

Jack O'Lantern scoffed and folded his arms. "Fine, but we can't waste too much time. Feed and water your deer, North and then we can sit and discuss a plan of action." He added before walking off to think.

Jack Frost helped Bunny pry his claws from the sleigh's wood. The Easter Bunny practically kissed the ground. "I don't know why I let him convince me to ride in that stupid thing."

"Well," the ice elf smiled. "He did make a pretty convincing argument."

"Yeah," Bunny rolled his eyes. " 'Get in sleigh before I make you into coat' is just good old fashioned diplomacy."

Jack laughed. "It worked," he pointed out. Frost laughed again and went over to sit on a boulder apart from the rest of the group.

Bunnymund joined him. He looked over at Jack and eyed him.

The young Guardian frowned. "What?" He felt his face. "Do I have something on me?"

"Come live with me." Bunnymund blurted.

"What?"

"I want you to move in with me." The Pooka told him. He shifted and sat back on his haunches.

Jack Frost didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Bunny…I can't live in the Warren." He finally told him.

The Pooka tried to keep the hurt off his face. "Hey, it's alright." He smiled a shaky smile. "No worries. It was a stupid idea. Forget I said anything."

"No, Bunny." Jack put a hand on his shoulder. "I mean I _literally_ can't live in the Warren. It's too hot. I can stand it for short periods but eventually it'll start to do damage." The ice elf shrugged.

"Oh." Bunny thought about it. He hadn't thought of that. "Well, what if I make you a little place that you can duck down in when you start to feel like you're overheating?"

Jack looked taken aback. "You'd do that for me?"

"Too right!" Bunnymund smiled. "What kinda Pooka would I be if I wasn't able to provide a place for my mate?"

Frost laughed. "I know we're friends but this is like adding another wing onto your house!"

Bunnymund frowned and shook his head. "Nah," he whispered. "The _other_ mate."

Oh. "_Oh_!" Jack almost shot up but he didn't want to draw the others' attention to them. "Since when am I your mate?" he hissed.

The Easter Bunny's ears twitched. "For a while," he said. "At least in my head. But, you're right. I need to start formally courtin' ya." The Pooka grinned. "Just you wait, Jacky-boy. I aim to woo you like you've never been wooed before."

"Well, considering that I've never been wooed before I think that's a pretty safe bet."

The Pooka punched him playfully. "Shut your trap."

North looked over at them. "Why are two whispering?" he asked.

The Pooka and ice elf exchanged identical looks that said now was definitely not the time to tell North about their relationship. "Nothing." Jack said. "So any ideas on how we're going to handle this?"

Sam jumped to his feet when Pitch was shoved back into the cell. "Are you okay?"

The Nightmare King tossed him a contemptuous look before going over to the bed. The Boogeyman slid under it just as the first rays of dawn appeared. He sighed. The shadows wouldn't do anything to heal his injuries, but it was better if he didn't have direct contact with sunlight in his current condition.

Samhain sat down next to the bed. "They brought some food." He said as a way of making conversation. "I wouldn't recommend it though. The stew looks pretty weak and I can't really tell what kind of meat they used."

Pitch still wouldn't say anything. The Halloween King fidgeted. "What…what did he do to you?"

"He threatened to dismember me and/or send me to hell to be worked over by his demon kin." Pitch snapped. "Why do you even care? I would be safe at home with North if not for you!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"And I said that I don't give a shit!"

Samhain winced. He stared at the pumpkin piece and turned it over in his hands. "I'd take it all back if I could." He whispered. "I'd never complain about having to make another piece of candy again if I could just have Jack back."

Pitch sighed audibly. "I wouldn't change a thing." He admitted. "I hated the humiliation. I hated the pain, but without it I would have never been taken in by North and the others. I would have still been alone and miserable." He smiled. "So, I would do it all over again."

"You really loved him."

Pitch blinked. His smile was softer now, sadder. "Yes," he said with a sigh. "I suppose I do—did." He corrected even though Pitch knew that even death wouldn't be enough to stop him from loving North just as centuries passing would never be enough to ease the pain of his passing.

Sam went quiet. "Did you tell him?"

"I never got the chance."

The Halloween King stared at his memento. "Neither did I." he wiped at his eyes. "I suppose I had plenty of opportunity though."

The Boogeyman agreed but he kept it himself. To be fair he had had opportunities too. "You don't have to stay in here." He said instead. "You're not a prisoner."

"I don't want to go out there with them." Sam admitted shamefaced. "And I don't want to go back to the factory. There are too many reminders of—and his body is still there—and I just…can't."

Pitch understood that. "I don't think the Krampus will want you to linger here. I get the distinct feeling that the Jólasveinarnir might be leaving soon. You should probably follow their lead."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" the Boogeyman arched a brow, not that Samhain could even see it. "I'm stuck here."

"I'm not going to leave you." Sam said firmly.

"You don't owe me anything, Samhain."

"I do. You're in this mess because I didn't listen to Jack when he told me to leave you alone and now everyone suffered because of it." the Halloween spirit hugged himself. "It won't make up for it, but I can at least share in your misery and maybe keep the Krampus from hurting you too much."

Pitch closed his eyes. It was obvious Samhain wasn't going to leave. "I thought you found my misery amusing." He pointed out. "Didn't you watch the Nightmares eating me and laugh."

Pitch was met by silence. The Boogeyman cursed a blue streak. "Please tell me that wasn't another lie!"

"Not a total one," Sam said. "I did see them, but I threw up and kinda left after that."

"Unbelievable." The Nightmare King rolled his eyes. He frowned deeply. "Anything else you lied to me about?"

Sam went silent again and then he launched into a full confession.

Apparently, Sam never enjoyed sex with Pitch but the Boogeyman couldn't fault him for that because he didn't enjoy sex with Sam either.

It seems Sam lied about wanting Pitch to move in with him. It was just another tactic to make Jack O'Lantern jealous. The plan had been for Sam to show up with Pitch and the other Halloween Spirit would be so enraged that he'd throw the Boogeyman out and mark Sam as his.

It was such a stupid idea and Pitch told him so.

Poor Samhain had never been one to take criticisms well. "I thought it was a good idea." Sam mumbled sulkily. "You have anything you want to be honest about?"

From under the bed, Pitch frowned. "I'm not getting into anything like that."

"But we have all this time now."

"Exactly! We might be stuck in here for an eternity and I'm not going to make this already uncomfortable position even more so by bringing up how I found the fact that you smell like burnt sugar and sweat nauseating."

"Is that so?" Pitch could hear the irritation in the Halloween King's voice. "Well, I guess I shouldn't bring up how having sex with you was like fucking a doll."

"Funny, I was just remembering how I always got the best rest _during_ that sequence of herky-jerky mess of spasms that you called sex."

"Oh that's rich!" Sam bit out. "I didn't know Sir Never-Laughed-At-My-Jokes had a sense of humor."

"Your sense of humor was infantile then and even more so now." Pitch shot back.

"Yeah well at least _I'm_ not wearing a dress."

"It's not a dress! It's a robe and there are trousers underneath! Besides, I'm not taking fashion advice from a spirit who's been wearing the same damned outfit for the last nine hundred years!"

"It's not the same outfit!" Sam said vehemently. "Just because they look the same doesn't mean that I don't have more than one!"

"Well, how is anyone supposed to know that when you always wear the same color?!"

"_You're_ getting on _my_ case about wearing the same color?"

A chilly silence filled the cell.

"I think," Pitch said sullenly from his place beneath the bed. "That we should agree not to share anything else during the duration of this imprisonment."

Sam folded his arms across his chest. "I can so live with that."

Jack O'Lantern stared up at the night sky. The others were still sitting around tossing about ideas and plans and he just had to get away. Where was his Sam? What was the Krampus doing to him? _I have to find him._ Jack frowned. _He needs me._

Sam had always needed him.

Jack could still remember the night they had been introduced. Jack had been annoyed by the energetic spirit and could not imagine having him as a partner. Slowly, Samhain had started to grow on him. While Jack always approached Halloween from a manufacturer's approach Sam always strove to use mischief and pranks to bring smiles to the children's face. The Pumpkin King still remembered that one fateful Halloween where Sam had managed to convince him to join him in a prank involving an old abandoned house and lots of theatric magic. The children's bright-eyed smiles as they enjoyed their "haunted" house experience and candy put Jack on a high.

Afterwards, he and Samhain had their own little party. He didn't know how it happened but he and Sam had ended up in bed and it was wonderful…

But nothing could come from it.

That was why Jack had made up his mind to not let something like that happen again.

That was why when a bright-eyed and blissfully happy Sam had come downstairs for breakfast the next morning he made it a point to ignore him.

That was why Jack never went out with Sam on Halloween to deliver the candy they made.

And that, Jack realized sadly, was why Sam decided to move on.

But by the Midnight Hour, of all the spirits Samhain could have chosen he just _had_ to go after Pitch Black. Jack hated Pitch and to see his sweet Sam come home with the Boogeyman's scent on his skin always made his blood boil.

He felt like Sam was only with Pitch to make him jealous, but he'd be damned if he let it show even if there were times he wanted to throw the Halloween King down and fuck him until the only name he could think of was Jack's.

When Jack had heard about Pitch's defeat at the hands of the Guardians he had breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Sam would be devastated and if the other Halloween spirit needed comforting he would be there. He wanted Sam to come to him.

But he never did. Not anymore.

They barely talked anymore. Sam would help with the candy-making, deliver it to the children come Halloween night, and then disappear somewhere.

Now Jack knew where he was always going and who he was seeing.

_If I can get him back,_ Jack O'Lantern returned his gaze to the stars. _I'll never ignore him again. I give him the attention and love he deserves. Just let him be okay. Just let my Sam be okay._

The Krampus walked in the direction of Pitch's cell, lost in thought. North was gone and everything was going to be perfect. He would go on the hunt for children, beating them and dragging new souls down to his master. The demon licked his lips. The Krampus was happy planning the various tortures he would reveal come Christmas. Oh yes, he would wait until Christmas because attacking the children (all children, screw just kidnapping the naughty ones) on North's special day would be all the sweeter. He peered through the bars seeing that idiot Samhain sitting on the floor next to the bed. The demon frowned. Where was the Boogeyman? There was no way he could have escaped. Krampus unlocked the cell and threw open the door. The loud crash of the metal made Sam flinch and the sight of the approaching hellbeast made him shrink with fear. "Where is Pitch?" Krampus stared down at the Halloween Spirit.

"H-he's under the bed." Sam stammered. He swallowed. "He can't be in direct sunlight for too long."

Krampus snorted. "Well, I suppose that changes my plans." He grabbed Samhain by the arm and pulled him to his feet. "I guess you'll just have to do." The demon sneered.

"Wh-wh-what are you doing?" Samhain's eyes flicked from left to right looking for a feasible escape route.

"I think it's time you repay me for all of those occasions where I sat and listened to your incessant whining." The Krampus smiled darkly and started pulling Sam toward the cell's door.

From under the bed, Pitch tried to shut out the noise of Sam's panicked screams and swallowed down the sickness he felt.

Finally, they were on the move again. Taking in Tooth's request "to think clearly" North decided that they should finish the journey by way of Bunnymund's tunnel (something that would have occurred to him if he hadn't rushed them so).

They stared at the mouth of the Krampus's mountain lair. "So," Jack Frost frowned. "Do we just go in?"

"_Da_," North nodded. "But we need to be careful. Krampus's cave has enchantment to make trespassers terribly lost."

"Luckily," Jack O'Lantern pulled down his scarf. "Sam and I share a connection. The closer I get to him the stronger it becomes."

Bunny's brow furrowed with confusion. "And why didn't you say somethin' earlier? We could have used you to find Pitch and not bother with thawing out that creeper, Gáttaþefur!"

The Halloween spirit looked at him coolly. "It only works if I'm in the same area as Sam. Besides, it's not a freaking GPS!" he frowned. "Look I can't explain it. It's like this feeling. I just know when he's near."

"Is good enough," North interrupted. "We use your bond to locate Samhain and hopefully Pitch."

They entered the cave, Jack O'Lantern lighting the way with a fireball in his palm. "Anything yet?" Tooth asked.

The Pumpkin King shook his head. They kept moving.

"How about now?"

Jack gritted his teeth and shook his head again.

"And now?"

"Tooth!" Bunnymund finally said. He looked at the fairy with exasperation. "We just got here. Give him a second to get his bearings!"

"Oh!" the Tooth Fairy's feathers ruffled with embarrassment. "Right."

Stekkjarstaur approached his brother, Stúfur. "The demon says someone's in his cave. Go and handle it."

The twisted little man licked his sharp teeth. "May I eat them, brother?" he asked.

Stekkajarstaur smiled and gave the smallest Jólasveinn on the head. "You may."

"This place gives me the creeps." Bunnymund muttered. He eyed the rocky walls and shivered.

"It smells like death." Jack O'Lantern commented. "Death and darkness."

"Cheery." Bunny grumbled. He didn't like being here. He missed his Warren with its warmth and familiarity. "We getting closer or what?"

The Pumpkin King frowned. His face brightened. "Yes!" he broke out in a run. "I feel him! It's weak, but I can feel him. Come on—

"_Skreeeeeeeeeee_!"

They stopped. "The fuck was that?" Bunny winced.

"_Skreeeeeee_!" The shrill piercing scream was getting closer and they looked around for the source of the bizarre noise.

They saw the tiny form of Stúfur barreling toward them. The Jólasveinn leapt into the air and attached himself to a shocked Aster's face where he bit and scratched with the ferocity of a wild animal.

"Ow! Son of a—get him off me!" Bunny tried to pry the small Yuletide lad off his face, but to no avail.

"We don't have time for this!" Jack O'Lantern complained.

"Then help him!" Tooth said with no small amount of exasperation.

"Carn! His teeth are like little knives! Gah! Why are you so strong?!" Bunnymund beat at Stúfur's back. The little creature paused for a moment to take a breath before grabbing handfuls of the Pooka's fur and yanking viciously. "Get him off! Get him off! Get him off! He's goin' for me ears!"

North and Jack Frost went to help pry the little beast off their friend. "Bunny!" the Guardian of Wonder chastised. "Keep voice down or others will hear!"

"He's trying to _eat_ me! I'll scream as loud as I bloody well please!"

Jack Frost dealt a vicious blow to the back of Stúfur's head, succeeding in stunning him. The little Jólasveinn fell off and scampered away into the dark.

Bunny moaned and nursed his bleeding face. "Where'd he go?" the Easter Bunny demanded. "I wanna to introduce my foot to his bum!"

"We wasted enough time with your antics!" Jack O'Lantern yelled.

"Antics?" Aster glared at him. "I was being attacked! And by the way, thanks for the assist! You were just standin' there watching me get mauled by that little freak so you can just suck my cock, ya tosser!" Bunnymund would have heaped on even more abuse if it wasn't for the sound of a very familiar shrieking.

They searched the floor. "You see him?" Jack Frost asked.

Jack O'Lantern moved his fireball to and fro. "No." He paused. The Halloween spirit slowly looked up.

The Pumpkin King was greeted by the sight of Stúfur clinging to the tunnel's ceiling. Stúfur bared his double row of razor sharp teeth. He hissed loudly.

He released his grip and dropped.

Jack O'Lantern stepped backwards and the Jólasveinn smacked into the ground. North quickly moved forward and slammed the heel of his boot into Stúfur's head. The Yuletide Lad yelped and struggled to get up, but Bunnymund in an act of vengeance ran forward and punted him across the tunnel. The Jólasveinn hit the wall and lay there motionless. "That's for bitin' me!" Bunny sneered.

Jack O'Lantern rolled his eyes. "Can we please get moving?"

Aster looked like he wanted to say something but a look from Tooth made him swallow his words.

Pumpkin Jack ran through the tunnels. He could still faintly feel Samhain's presence. "He's close." _Or was_, he added mentally. Their connection wasn't down to a science yet but Jack had a good feeling. _Everything is going to be okay._ He smiled. _Everything will finally be okay._


	9. Chapter 9

The Krampus frowned. His tunnels were speaking to him, warning him of the intrusion. "I have to go now, Sam." The demon got to his feet. "I have to deal with someone with an obvious death wish." He smiled. "We'll continue our playtime later, okay?"

Samhain didn't respond but then again the Krampus didn't expect him to.

Sam. Sam. Where was Sam? Jack ran through the tunnel not even caring if the others kept up. A wall shot up and Jack had to slide to a stop. He cursed and changed direction only to have another wall appear. "He's trying to corral us!" Pumpkin Jack snarled.

"This could be problem." North noted that the path behind them was completely blocked.

_No! No! No!_ Jack hissed sharply through his teeth. "No!" he bellowed.

Bunnymund pulled Jack Frost and Tooth back as Jack O'Lantern started to increase in size. Wicked tusks curved from the bottom of the Halloween Spirit's lips and sharp black claws dug into his great fists. "J-Jack?" the Easter Bunny said nervously. The behemoth of a spirit lowered his burning red eyes to glare at him. "Maybe you should calm down? You're takin' up a bit of space in that form."

Jack O'Lantern opened his mouth and unleashed a mighty roar. He slammed a fist into the tunnel wall and it crumbled easily from the blow. "Sam!" Jack intoned throatily. "Have to find Sam!" he charged at the walls, breaking them as quickly as they could form.

"Damn!" North looked around worriedly. "He will bring entire cave down on us!"

"He's upset." Tooth replied but eyed the cave warily.

The Guardian of Wonder frowned even more. "As am I, but _I_ have good sense to not be rampaging like bull!"

Jack Frost rolled his eyes. "If we keep standing here he'll get too far ahead of us."

Unbeknown to most, the Krampus had used his demonic power to turn his lair into a sentient creature. This way the demon didn't have worry about clean up, as trespassers were simply absorbed into the frigid earth. However, due to current events that sentience came with a price. The cave was in pain and did not approve of Jack O'Lantern smashing his way through its innards. Nor did it approve of its master's seemingly uncaring attitude.

There comes a time when even sentient domiciles have to put their nonexistent foot down.

If the green idiot wanted to find whatever it was he was looking for then the cave would just let him because _fuck_ it was really starting to hurt.

Jack crowed with delight as he was led to a cell. "Found you!" he cheered. The Halloween spirit shrank back to normal.

The Guardians joined him. "You okay?" Jack Frost asked.

The Halloween spirit blushed. "Yeah," he said sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I get upset and lose control. I hate it. It's so undignified." Jack turned his attention to the cell. He peered inside. "He was here." Jack muttered. "I can feel him and look! There are his faces on the floor. Oh. He's never lost that many before. That's not good for him." The Pumpkin King's eyes darted around the cell. "He's not in there." He was starting to panic. "Where is he?" Jack O'Lantern snapped his fingers and his right hand was set ablaze. He ran it along the metal bars, melting them away. He stepped inside. "Not here." He muttered quietly under his breath. "Not here. Not here."

North squeezed through the opening. "Pitch?" he called cautiously.

Sandy chimed and pointed excitedly at the bed where a pair of glowing eyes had appeared. North cried out and ran over to it. Laughing joyfully, he flipped the entire thing away and pulled the Boogeyman into his arms. "Pitch! _Lyubimaya moya_!"

"North?" the Nightmare King seemed dazed. He leaned back and stared at the Guardian. Pitch's face fell and he embraced his lover. "I thought you were dead." He whispered tearfully. "I thought you were gone and I'd never see you again!"

The Guardian peppered his face with kisses. "_Nyet_! Oh, my beautiful Pitch!" he kissed him again.

"North, please!" The Nightmare King blushed under all of the attention. He was happy that his lover was still among the living and he was ecstatic that North was unharmed but they couldn't stay here. "We need to leave."

"Right! Yes of course." North placed him back on the ground. He beamed at the Nightmare King.

The happy moment was ruined by Jack O'Lantern running and tackling Pitch to the ground. "Where is he?" he screamed. "Where's Sam?"

"The hell are you doin'?" Bunny demanded. He and Sandy tried to pry the spirit off of the Boogeyman.

"Where's Sam?" Jack thrashed. North growled and delivered a blow to the side of the Halloween spirit's face. It was enough to dislodge him and the Guardian pulled Pitch close to him. Jack wiped the side of his mouth and glared up at the Nightmare King, eyes blazing. "Where is he?"

Pitch's face blanched. "T-the Krampus took him."

"And you let him?!"

"I-" Pitch started. He swallowed. "There was nothing I could do. It was the middle of the day. I had to stay hidden."

"Liar!" Jack O'Lantern snarled. "You let that demon take Sam to save your own skin!"

"Enough!" North pushed Pitch behind him. "You will not be speaking to him that way. Your Sam dug his own grave the minute he aligned himself with Krampus! Pitch is not to blame!"

Jack narrowed his eyes. "I see how it is." He climbed to his feet. He leveled a hard stare at everyone present. "You found your lover and that's it. Meanwhile Sam's being subjected to who knows what and nobody but me gives a damn!" Jack's lip curled in a sneer. "Fine! I don't need you anyway. Take your whore and fly back to your little workshop." The Pumpkin King turned and walked back to the door. "Good riddance."

After the Halloween spirit's departure, North shook his head. "Let's go," he said. "I am thinking we have all had enough excitement."

Pitch took hold of his arm. "We can't just leave him." He sighed.

North's brow furrowed in confusion before he realized who Pitch was talking about. "Oh yes we can!" he snapped. "I come for you, not irritating idiot that kidnapped you in first place!"

"North!"

"No!" the Guardian shook his head. "Not open for discussion! We will go home and put this all—"

Pitch shook him. "Damn it, North will you just listen!" he practically yelled. "I let the Krampus take him, North!"

They stared at the Boogeyman in stunned silence. "You…what?" North said.

The Nightmare King looked ashamed. "I let the Krampus take him. I was scared. He—he did things to me, North." He hugged his arms and the Guardian's eyes followed the movement.

It was then that North noticed the ugly bruises and new scars. Noticed how Pitch seemed to be favoring his left leg and how his face was slightly swollen. "Who? The Krampus!" North spat the name.

Pitch nodded. "I was afraid." He lowered his eyes. "And I was still angry at Samhain. So, when he came looking for me, I let him take Sam instead." It felt horrible to say. "Sam told him I was under the bed because the sunlight would hurt me. I never told him that I could be in the light for almost two hours before I start feeling any discomfort." He shrugged. "It never came up." Pitch looked at North. "We can't leave him. He's made mistakes. So have I and you forgave me."

"He is not you!" North protested.

"You're a better man than this, Nicholas." Pitch frowned. "You would leave another being in the hands of the Krampus? For revenge? That is not the man that you are and you know it." the Nightmare King folded his arms. He waited.

North sighed loudly and turned to the others. "I cannot ask the rest of you to stay."

"Are you kidding?" Jack scoffed. "Those bozos still have my staff and I want some payback!"

Tooth nodded. "I left my fairies in charge of collecting teeth tonight." She smiled. "And the kids can go one night without dreams right Sandy?"

The dream-weaver nodded emphatically.

Bunny shrugged. "I got nothin' better to do." He smiled. "So if you girls are done sharin' your feelings we can get this show on the road."

"Bunny," Tooth said sweetly. "I won't tolerate any sexist comments like that."

The Pooka's eyes went wide. "R-right." He stammered. "Apologies, Tooth."

Pitch looked at North. "What's that about?" he whispered.

"I will tell you later." The Guardian whispered back.

Jack O'Lantern had been walking aimlessly for what seemed like fifteen minutes. When he couldn't feel Sam in one direction, the Pumpkin King turned and went another way. It wasn't the most effective way but it did allow him some time to cool down. It had been wrong for him to accuse Pitch of just abandoning Samhain to the Krampus. The Nightmare King was just as much a prisoner as the Halloween King and now that he thought about, Jack remembered the sorry state Pitch had been in when they arrived. Of course thinking about the abuse the Boogeyman suffered at the hands of the demon only made him worry about Sam even more.

_Where are you?_

"Fancy an assist?" Bunnymund bounded up next to him. The Pooka stood up straight.

Jack's face showed his relief as the other Guardians and Pitch joined them. "I thought you'd all be gone by now." He said slowly.

"We would never leave someone with the Krampus." Toothiana's bright eyes were kind. "Sam is in danger and we're here to help." She glanced at North. "All of us."

Jack O'Lantern bowed his head. "Thank you." He looked at Pitch. "I…I owe you an apology. What I said back there, it was uncalled for and I'm sorry."

The Boogeyman looked uncomfortable. "Not a problem." He muttered. "And not all of it was uncalled for…some of it was dead-on actually."

Jack's eyes widened and then narrowed as he took in what Pitch practically confessed to. "Well," he said a bit coolly. "It's all behind us. Let's just find Sam and get out of his godforsaken place."

Pitch ducked his head in shame. Jack's attitude wasn't unexpected but it still hurt. Beside him, North growled. "Jack," the Guardian's warning tone belied the anger simmering beneath letting Frost know that he wasn't the Jack in question, "Perhaps we should get moving, yes? Time is of essence."

The Pumpkin King continued staring at Pitch. His eyes slid away. "Fine. I feel him this way."

North placed a comforting hand on Pitch's arm. "I'm fine, Nicholas." The Boogeyman assured him. "Besides I deserved it."

The gift-giver's look told him how much North disagreed with that statement, but thankfully he let it go.

The Sandman floated closer to his counterpart. _What you did was admirable._

Pitch arched a brow. "I only admitted to doing something horrible to Sam. What's to admire about that?"

_You could have kept it to yourself. O'Lantern never had to know the reason we stayed._ The dream weaver smiled proudly. _You are growing._

Pitch blushed lightly and he looked away. "Stop it."

_I've embarrassed you._

"Gee, you think? You're quite astute for an overgrown cinnamon pastry."

The Sandman could have done without the Nightmare King's snark, but he could hear the lack of bite in Pitch's tone. _Still proud of you._

"And that's your right." Pitch returned. He hastened his steps, unnerved at the warmth that radiated through him at the idea of someone being proud of him and he ignored Sandy's silent laughter.

"What are we going to do about the Krampus?" Frost asked. "He tried killing North and who's to say he won't try again?"

"He has a point," Bunny commented. "And he wouldn't just give up. I expect that he'd be after us again in no time."

"First, we save Sam and then we worry about what to do with the Krampus and the Jólasveinarnir." O'Lantern snapped. Jack stopped. "Yes!" he cried and broke off in a run. "This way!"

The Guardians quickly followed the excited Halloween spirit. This time no walls jumped up to block their paths. Jack O"Lantern stood before a large wooden door. He placed his hand on the doorknob and prepared to twist it open.

"Wait!" Pitch stepped forward. "You don't know what's behind there."

Jack's eyes were crazed. "Sam is behind this door." He protested. "I can feel him!"

"I know, but I think you need to be careful." The Boogeyman eyed the door warily.

The Pumpkin King bristled. "You just don't want to save him!" he accused.

Instead of lashing back, Pitch rolled his eyes. "Yes Jack." He said drily. "I don't want to save Sam. That's why I'm still here helping you instead of being back at home! I guess I'm just so bloody selfish!"

"You're here because you feel guilty." Jack told him.

Pitch set his mouth in a thin line. "Fair enough." He relented. "But I am trying to do the right thing and I'm not saying don't open the door. I'm simply saying to be careful when you do it."

"He's right." Toothiana fluttered. "How do we know the Krampus isn't hiding behind the door with an axe?"

Jack Frost placed an ear against the door. "I don't hear anything." He said. "But that doesn't mean anything."

The Halloween Spirit opened his mouth then closed it. "Fine," he said at last. Pushing the ice elf aside, the Pumpkin King slowly opened the door. He pushed it opened.

North stepped forward and using one of his twin swords as mirror he peered behind the door to make sure the demon wasn't hiding behind it. "Is clear," the Guardian announced. "Demon is not in room."

That was all Jack O'Lantern needed to hear. He hurried into the room and looked around for Sam. Jack felt his heart drop when he found him.

This was apparently the demon's bedroom. The fire going in the large fire place made the room sweltering and beads of sweat were starting to dot over Frost's brow. There was a high-backed chair appearing to be made of bones placed near the fire. An animal skin of undecipherable origin lay on the floor next to the four-post bed. It was there they found Sam, lying curled on the lumpy mattress.

More of the Halloween King's faces littered the floor and Jack carefully made his way over to him. Tooth flew ahead and hovered by the bed. "Sam?" she whispered. Samhain had his head tucked protectively under his arm his long black hair obscuring his face from them.

Pitch swallowed as he and the others joined Jack and Toothiana next to the bed. The Halloween King was nude, his clothes lying in tatters on the floor. The Krampus had left bloody trails along the bone-white flesh of Samhain's back; bruises marked his thighs and arms. No, there was no denying what had happened here. Dark red blood pooled over the sheet, leaking down from between Sam's thighs. Toothiana averted her eyes and wiped away her tears. It was Bunny who found the courage to roll Sam over.

"What happened to his face?" Jack Frost asked in horror. The Halloween's face was smooth and featureless. Upon touching it, the ice elf discovered that was soft like fresh clay. "Is this…normal?"

"I don't know." Jack O'Lantern admitted quietly. He swallowed thickly. "He's never gone through this many faces before." The Pumpkin King leaned over. "Sam? It's me, Jack." He smiled timidly.

To his dismay, Samhain pulled away at the sound of his voice. Jack could feel his heart breaking. "Don't do that." He scolded weakly. "I'm here to help you!"

The more Jack spoke the more Sam shrank away. The Halloween Spirit didn't know what to do. He wanted to take Sam home, but how could he when the other spirit kept cringing away from like that? Sam reached for his smooth, blank face and started pulling at it. His fingernails sank into the soft flesh but never managed to get a good hold instead they left indentations in the pliable flesh.

"Stop it!" Jack snapped. He grabbed hold of Samhain's wrist. "Stop it I said! There's nothing left to pull! You're going to hurt yourself if you keep that up."

Sam seized up at the contact. Clawing and slapping blindly until Jack let him go. He hugged himself and turned on his side.

O'Lantern stared helplessly at the brutalized form of his fellow Halloween spirit. "I'll kill him." He whispered. Jack got to his feet. "I'll fucking kill him." He headed for the door.

"Jack, wait!" Pitch quickly moved to follow.

North cursed. "Take care of him." He ordered them.

"Already on it," Bunny said. The Pooka used a blanket as a covering as he lifted Sam into his arms. "Where are you going?"

The Guardian of Wonder frowned deeply. "I will either stop Jack before he does something rash or I will join him." And with that he was off.

"Oh sweet!" Frost ran over to right corner of the room. "My staff!"

"Why is that in here?" Tooth fluttered over.

"I don't know." The Guardian of Fun shrugged. He knelt down. "I think it might be some kind of trophy area." He picked up an object and examined. "You know this kinda looks like a…"

He quickly dropped. "Yep, that's a finger." Jack wiped his hand on his hoodie. "That's some kid's finger. I really wanna go home now."

"Jack, calm down!" Pitch practically had to run to keep up with the Pumpkin King's determined strides.

"Don't tell me to calm down, Pitch Black!" Jack snarled. "He raped Sam! That fucking demon raped my…" he shook his head. "I want him dead. I want him so very dead! So don't even bother trying to stop me!"

Pitch's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Stop you?" he parroted. "Are you mad? The Krampus deserves whatever you've got planned for him and more!" the Nightmare King shook his head. "What I'm trying to do is get you to calm yourself. The angrier you are the more mistakes you might make. I don't want that bastard getting away because _you_ couldn't keep your head."

Jack O'Lantern clenched his teeth. "I'm not going to lose him." He said. "Not now. Not after this."

Pitch placed his hand on the Halloween Spirit's shoulder. "Sam will be fine. It may take some time, but that idiot will be back on his feet and back to his antics in no time."

Jack smiled. He gave the Boogeyman an appreciative nod. "So, any idea where we start looking for the demon?"

"How about you turn around?" a voice instructed.

Jack and Pitch whirled around. The demon was leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest. He bared sharp pointed teeth in a grin. "Howdy, boys." He blinked at Jack. "Do I know you?"

Jack formed his fire sword. "Maybe you'd have better chance of recognizing me if you hadn't crushed my head!"

The Krampus's eyes widened. He threw back his head and laughed. "You're Jack O'Lantern!" he chortled. "Oh this is too good! I can't believe you're alive!" Krampus pushed himself off the wall and approached them casually. "Guess I'll have to make sure you stay down this time." The demon glanced at Pitch. "How ever did you get out of your cage? I know I locked it on the way out with—" the Krampus laughed again. "Samhain." He turned back to Jack.

The Pumpkin King tightened his hold on his sword. "I'll make you pay."

"Oh so you've seen him?" the demon's smile widened. "He made such interesting noises. I've never had that effect on people before. Well, close to it." Krampus grinned. "He cried so much. It was so easy to break him," the demon cleared his throat. "Especially when I sounded like _this_."

Jack and Pitch were horrified to hear Jack O'Lantern's voice coming from the demon's mouth. "You…" the Pumpkin whispered. "Sound like me…" That was why Sam shrank away.

The Krampus laughed mockingly with his stolen voice. "Oh yes! How he wept when he heard your voice. Sam, why did you kill me?"

"Stop it!"

"You killed me, Sam!" the demon cackled. "I'll never forgive you!"

"I said shut up!" Jack screamed. "I'll make you pay!"

"Oh yes," Krampus smirked, voice returning to normal. "Get angry. Turn into that giant, clumsy behemoth. You wouldn't be able to touch me."

Jack narrowed his eyes. The demon was right. In his berserker form, he was powerful but clumsy and uncoordinated. He took a few deep breaths to calm down. "I will murder you." Jack seethed.

Krampus tossed him a condescending look. "Better beings than you have tried," he said. "But what the hell? I've got nothing better to do." He licked his lips. "And when I'm done I'll just pay another visit to sweet Sam."

With a roar, Jack charged. He slashed at the Krampus's head. "You won't touch him!" he screamed. "Never again!"

The demon laughed mockingly, dodging the blows with surprising speed and grace. "I plan to do more than touch him, Pumpkin Boy!" his eyes glittered malevolently. He grabbed Jack's arm and pulled him close enough to whisper in his ear. "His pain was exquisite," Krampus whispered. "And so tight."

Jack kicked at the demon's leg. This time the blow connected and the demon let out a surprised yelp. He released his hold on the Pumpkin King and limped away. The demon sneered and tapped on the wall behind him. It lowered and he disappeared into the dark. "No!" Jack tried to run after him, but the wall shot back up. He beat at it in a fit of impotent rage. "No! No! No! Coward!" he screamed.

Pitch narrowed his eyes and looked around. There was no way it would be this easy. The demon wouldn't just give up after being dealt one measly kick. He heard the sound of stone sliding and he turned in time to see the hellbeast's leering face. "Jack!" the Boogeyman screamed. He fell backwards. The demon reached a clawed hand for him.

A giant red blur tackled the Krampus, knocking him to the ground where he was dealt a barrage of punishing punches to the face. Nicholas St. North straddled the demon and delivered blow after blow. "Never touch Pitch!" North snarled.

The Krampus's left eye was swollen shut and bright red blood dribbled from his nose. He stared at North incredulously. "You're alive?"

"_Da_!" The Guardian smirked. "It will take more than you to end me!"

"No!" the demon shoved the gift-giver off of him. He scrambled for the wall and slapped it quickly. North ran after him grabbing a handful of this black fur on the demon's back, trying to pull him before he could escape. The force of his pulls yanked the fur from its roots and the Krampus howled in pain but still manages to get away.

North stared at the clump of hair in the disgust. He dropped it and turns to the other. "Sorry I am late." He blushed. "I took wrong turn."

Pitch smiled. "The important thing is that you're here." The Boogeyman started to cross the room, but he hears the scrape of stone and feels a hand close on the back of his robe.

The last thing the Boogeyman saw before he's pulled into the Krampus's arms is North's expression—equal parts rage and fear—then the wall closed and he's alone with the demon.

It was Stekkjarstaur who discovered that North and his friends were alive and well from his brother, Stúfur. He had found the smallest Jólasveinn lying unconscious on the floor of the tunnels. When his brother had revealed who it was who had attacked him, Stekkjarstaur had turned pale and immediately went to gather his brothers for a hasty escape.

North was supposed to have died in the blast or at the very least he was supposed to be too worried about the destruction of his workshop and workers to have the time to come here. But fate was cruel bitch and now he and his brothers were in danger of having to deal with the Guardians and their thirst for vengeance. With Stúfur tucked under his arm, the peg-legged Jólasveinn ran back to the chamber where the rest of the Jólasveinarnir were gathered. "We're leaving." He announced as soon as he saw them.

His brothers blinked with confusion. "What?" Þvörusleikir's brow furrowed. The painfully malnourished Yuletide Lad looked at Stekkjarstaur, curiously. "What has you so upset, Brother?"

Stekkjarstaur cursed and looked over his shoulder. "North is alive!" he told them. "And he's _here_ with the other Guardians."

The room dissolved into a panic. "I knew aligning ourselves with that demon was a bad idea!" Gluggagægir moaned, his bulbous eyes rolling his skull.

"We should have just stayed home." Kertasníkir sniffled.

"This was _your_ bright idea." Bjúgnakrækir snapped at Stekkjarstaur. His jowls quivered with rage. "You think you're so smart! Ha!"

"Shut up!" Stekkjarstaur snarled back. "I need to think." He tapped his chin with a dirty finger. "We can go out the back. There's another exit near the Krampus's lake of ink. We can slip out and go into hiding for a few…" he frowned. "Centuries."

"That's your plan?" Ketkrókur scoffed. The hook-handed Jólasveinn shook his head. "Flee and hide like rats? I can't believe Mother thought you were the smart one."

Stekkjarstaur gnashed his teeth. "You have a better idea?" he demanded.

They didn't.

The Jólasveinarnir quietly made their trek to the Krampus's ink lake. The black ink was putrid, polluted with bits and pieces of children that had gotten severed when the demon was fishing them out. Surrounded by sharp stones, the ink lake was the Krampus's favorite place to come and relax. The chemical smell was overpowering and it reminded the hellbeast of the good old days where he would throw naughty children in so he could spear them with a pitchfork.

"Everyone be quiet." Stekkjarstaur ordered. He looked around. There was no sign of the Krampus, but one could never be too careful.

"Going somewhere?" a voice rumbled from the shadows. The Krampus stepped forward hauling Pitch by the arm. The demon gazed at the Yuletide Lads with a cool look on his face. "You weren't thinking of leaving were you?" his lip curled, showing the barest hint of fang.

Stekkjarstaur was nudged forward. He cleared his throat. "We…thought it best if we made our exits. Now that our alliance has ended there is no need…"

"Oh but it hasn't ended yet." The demon cut in. He eyed them. "North is alive. You already know that, or why else would you be fleeing like rats on a sinking ship?" Krampus calmed himself. "But I'm willing to forgive and forget this little transgression if you go and distract the Guardians." His grip tightened and Pitch winced. "Keep them separated from North and Jack O'Lantern."

"Jack O'Lantern's here too?" Askasleikir squawked. The demon shot him a look and he quickly silenced.

"As I was saying," the Krampus continued. "Keep them separated. I don't need North having access to his friends. I need the fat fool alone when I drive my pitchfork through him. Now go!"

The Jólasveinarnir filed out, leaving Krampus alone with his prey. "Now," he shoved Pitch to the floor. "As for you." The demon sneered. "You have been giving me problems since you arrived."

The Boogeyman attempted to stand, but the demon slammed his hoof into his back, pinning him to the cold stone floor. "If I'm such an inconvenience," Pitch hissed. "Why not just let me go?"

"Let you go? Why would I let you go? How does it cause North pain if I let you go? What was the point of all of this?" Krampus dropped into a crouch. He eyed the Boogeyman appreciatively. "So pretty." He murmured. "A bit more meat on you than Sam, but not much."

Pitch froze. _Oh god._ He clawed at the floor, trying to get away.

Krampus laughed. "Now, now," he scolded. "None of that." The demon ran his hand down Pitch's back letting it rest on the Nightmare King's rear. He squeezed the pliant flesh. "Nice. I'm going to defile you now, Pitch and then I'm going to Hell. It's been a while since I've visited my family, you see. Before I go I want to hurt North as much as possible and what better way than by soiling the one he loves?" the demon started to push up the Nightmare King's cloak. "It will be my farewell 'fuck you' to North."

No. This wasn't happening. This couldn't happen. Pitch narrowed his eyes and focused on the stones bordering the lake of ink.

The Krampus ripped down Pitch's trousers and chuckled. "Nothing to say? How disappointing. I was hoping you'd have some fight left in you." He chuckled again. "You probably don't see the point. After all, it's not like you can fight back without your powers."

"There's only one man who gets the honor of fucking me!" Pitch turned over and slammed a stone into the side of the demon's head. The Krampus reeled from the blow and blood gushed from his ear. The Boogeyman bashed the other side of his face and kicked at him. "And you're not him!"

Scrambling away from the demon, the Nightmare King looked around for a way out. No doors. No nothing. The walls and exits had sealed as soon the Krampus was alone. Pitch glanced back at the demon. Revulsion coiled inside him as he caught a glimpse of the demon's red prick retreating back into his sheath. "Oh," the demon's eyes glowed. Blood matted his fur and he touched it gingerly. "You're going into the sack." He growled. "_No_, the sack is too good for you."

Pitch took a step backwards. "Back off."

The Krampus sneered. "You're out of rocks, little Boogeyman. And that means you're out of luck." His sharp teeth were bared in a mockery of a grin. "Sucks to be you."

North howled with rage. "No!" he beat his fists against the walls.

"That's not going to work." Jack said with a sigh.

The Guardian of Wonder glared at him. "It would if you would offer assistance."

"Oh so you care now? Because it's Pitch?" Jack's eyes blazed. "You couldn't be bothered with Sam! You probably thought he had it coming!"

Quick as snake, the Guardian grabbed Jack O'Lantern by his jacket and dragged him to his feet. "How dare you!" North spat. "I may dislike idiot Samhain, but I would never wish that upon him or anyone!"

Jack lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry." He whispered in apology. "That was out of line. You just don't know what Sam means to me."

North released his hold on the Halloween Spirit. "I do." He said with a smile. "Pitch means the same to me."

Jack O'Lantern nodded. "Well," he cracked his knuckles. "Let's go get him."

Bunnymund placed Sam in the sleigh. The Halloween Spirit shivered in the cold air and Sandy covered him with a blanket of dreamsand. "We need to get him back to the Pole." The Pooka frowned. "He needs healin' bad."

Jack sat on the edge of the sled. He peered down at Sam and shivered slightly at the blank face. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He will be." Tooth told him. "If we can get him to Manny in time."

Sandman pointed and gestured wildly.

Tooth turned in the direction the other Guardian was pointing and gasped. "We have company."

The Jólasveinarnir stood in the mouth of the cave. Stekkjarstaur bared his ugly teeth in a grin. "Well, well, well. What have we here?" the peg-legged Jólasveinn glanced at his brothers. "North's little friends." His eyes slid over to Jack and he frowned. "And the little ice brat. Where's my brother, you piece of trash?"

"Oi!" Bunny placed himself between Jack and the Jólasveinarnir. "You don't talk to him like that!"

Stekkjarstaur smirked. "Oh look how protective Beatrice Potter is getting." He and his brothers snickered. "One would think that a certain giant rodent was of a deviant persuasion."

Bunny narrowed his eyes. "And one would think that someone as ugly as you would have the good sense to stay home."

The Yuletide Lads frowned. "When this is over," Stekkjarstaur unhooked a knife with a curved blade from his belt, "I'm going to make your fur into my new coat."

The Pooka flung two exploding eggs. Stekkjarstaur had the good sense to move out of the way. Stúfur, on the other hand, caught the eggs in his mouth thinking they were just food.

He quickly learned why they weren't. The blast sent him flying backwards and what few teeth were in his mouth were blown out.

Jack cried out. Leaping off the sleigh the ice elf blocked a sneak attack from Stekkjarstaur with his staff. "Look what I found." He said with smile.

The Yuletide Lad eyed the staff with distaste. "Doesn't matter." He swung at the Guardian with his fist. Jack ducked and moved away. "I'll use it to pick your flesh from between my teeth, boy!" he charged.

Jack slammed the butt of his staff down, freezing the ground. Stekkjarstaur yelped as his feet came out from under him and he slid the rest of the way. Jack jumped up and landed on the Jólasveinn's middle and brought his staff down. Using his staff, Jack stopped Stekkjarstaur's frozen form from sliding into the wall and shattering. The ice elf grinned cheekily at the remaining Yuletide Lads. "Next."

Stúfur scrambled forward and launched himself at Bunnymund. The Pooka caught him and held the little monster away from his face. "Getting' real tired of your shit, Tiny."

Stúfur bared his shark-like teeth and hissed. "Kill you." He rasped. "Eat you!"

Bunny arched a brow. "Frost?" he tossed the Yuletide Lad over his shoulder. The Easter Bunny smiled at the welcome sound of the crack of Jack's ice. He looked at the remaining Jólasveinarnir. "We can do this all day. We'd prefer not to but we can."

The Jólasveinarnir turned inward to discuss their options. Two minutes later, they turned back around.

"Right," Bjúgnakrækir cleared his throat. "We surrender."

The Krampus, holding Pitch by the throat slammed him into the wall. Tiny bursts of lights spotted the Nightmare King's vision. "I have to make sure to leave your face relatively unmarked." The demon hissed. "For now."

Pitch spat in the Krampus's face. The demon sneered and pulled the Boogeyman away from the wall. He cracked Pitch's head against the wall then let him slide to the floor.

Pitch tried to fight through the pain, but his vision darkened and he succumbed to the darkness.

The Krampus raked his eyes over the Nightmare King's prone form. Stooping, he shucked the spirit of his cloak, tossing it away. His mouth watered as he stared at the slim arms, smooth gray skin, and tight nipples. Krampus hooked his fingers under the waistband of Pitch's trousers and yanked them down bunching them around the Nightmare King's ankles.

For one so slim, the Boogeyman had a nice ass on him. The demon's cock slid from its furry sheath, a garish red against a black-furred backdrop. Krampus slid a finger down Pitch's hip and brought it to his mouth. He sucked on it. "Mine." Krampus whispered huskily. He used a hoof to turn Pitch over to his stomach. "All mine." He would take great pleasure in violating the Nightmare King.

Krampus spread Pitch's legs wider so he could have better access. He'd take him raw, the demon decided. The blood would make the passage smoother. "Beautiful," the Krampus smiled. "No wonder North is so taken by you."

Pitch gave no answer and for that the demon was glad. There would be no backtalk, no sass and—the demon smiled—no hope.

The wall on the opposite side of his lake exploded as berserker-Jack charged through. "Found you." The Halloween spirit growled.

North climbed over the rubble. The Guardian looked at half-dressed and unconscious form of his lover and at the Krampus who was still positioned above him.

North pulled his swords from their sheaths.

Krampus scrambled away from Pitch and held his hands out. "N-now look here, North." The demon stammered. "This isn't what it looks like."

Jack shrank back to normal. "You must think we're idiots." With a quick burst of speed, he was behind the Krampus keeping him away from the walls.

North stalked closer to the demon. His eyes travelled over to Pitch. "What did you do to him?" he demanded.

"Nothing," the Krampus frowned. "You got here before I could get to the good part. Fucking cockblockers."

With a bellow of rage, North charged. The demon's eyes widened and he had to move quickly to avoid the Guardian's erratic swings. "Bastard!" North snarled. He slashed at Krampus and aimed a kick at his middle. "I will end you!"

The demon lowered his head and attempted to ram his horns through North's chest. The Guardian dropped his swords and grabbed the Krampus by the horns and lifted him into the air. He tossed the demon. The Krampus landed on his back. North placed a boot on the demon's horn and lifted his sword.

He sliced the demon's right horn clean off.

"Fuck!" the creature yelled. "My fucking horn!" the Krampus's eyes blazed. "I'll make you pay for that!" he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Remember me?" Jack cocked his arm back and slammed his fist into Krampus's face. "Can't let North have all the fun."

The Krampus whirled from the blow. North grabbed his shoulders and brought his knee up into the hellbeast's gut. He took the broken horn and stabbed Krampus in the leg with it.

Krampus howled and limped away. Jack didn't let him get far. He took hold of the Krampus's remaining horn using it to keep the demon in place as he delivered blow after blow. "You raped Sam." The Halloween Spirit yelled the entire time. "You raped him and you used my voice while you did it!"

Krampus glared up Jack with his good eye. "Still whining about that?" he sneered. The demon made a fist and aimed between the Pumpkin King's legs. Jack released his hold but stayed upright through sheer will. The demon pulled the horn out of his leg. With a few whispered words the horn transformed into a spike-covered cudgel and the demon eyes with it with great satisfaction.

Jack narrowed his eyes and brought his hands together. Slowly drawing them apart, he shaped his flames into a large scythe. "Let's dance demon."

The Krampus laughed and slapped the cudgel against his palm. "Okay, but I get to lead." He darted forward and swung at the Halloween Spirit's face.

Jack was ready for him. He swung his scythe in a wide arc. That was the benefit of the scythe over the cudgel. Jack didn't have to get close to do damage. The fire sizzled the Krampus's black fur and he growled in frustration. "At this rate," Jack taunted. "You're not going to last long."

North figured that Jack O'Lantern deserved a little one on one time with the Krampus. The Guardian of Wonder went over to Pitch and knelt down. He carefully lifted Pitch's head and stared mournfully at him. "Pitch?" he called.

With a moan, the Nightmare King slowly came to. He started with a scream, slapping and scratching as he tried to right himself.

"Pitch!" North yelled and shielded himself from the blows. "It is okay! It's me!"

"North?" the Boogeyman finally focused on the gift-giver's face. He then looked down at his body. Pitch started to shake. "North did he?"

"_Nyet_." North shook his head. "We got here before he could."

Pitch couldn't contain the sob of relief. He let North embrace him. "He tried to." Pitch shuddered. "He tried to."

"I know this." North answered. His voice was hard. "Never again."

Pitch pushed at him and North only tightened his hold. "Let me go, Nicholas." Pitch ordered. The Nightmare King got to his feet and stalked over to the Krampus who was currently being drowned in his own lake by Jack O'Lantern. The Halloween Spirit held the demon's black fur tightly in his fist and watched impassively as Krampus spluttered and bubbled beneath the ink. "Pull him up." Pitch ordered. Jack arched a brow but did as he was told.

The Krampus crawled a small distance away and started vomiting up the ink. Pitch casually walked closer arms behind his back. "Krampus," the Boogeyman smiled. "I told you once. Only one man has the honor of fucking me," He pulled his arms forward, revealing a stone the size of an encyclopedia in his hands. Pitch lifted it into the air. His eyes glittered dangerously. "_And it's not you_!" he brought the stone crashing down between the demon's eyes.

The Krampus was down for the count and it filled Pitch with happiness.

"What now?" Jack asked. He wiped his hands on his duster.

North placed his coat on Pitch's shoulders. The Boogeyman thanked him quietly and pulled it tighter. The Guardian lowered his eyes to the Krampus's still form. "He can't be allowed to wander free."

"But what if there are complications like there was with me?" Pitch asked. He didn't want the Krampus having a chance to get revenge but if there was the slightest chance of backlash then they couldn't do it in good faith.

North considered this. It was true that the Krampus was still popular in Europe. He was at a loss.

Pitch's entire face suddenly brightened. "I have an idea." He announced. The Boogeyman sneered down at the demon. "And I think it's truly a poetic one."

"Wake up."

The Krampus slowly came to. With a groan he turned his head to the side. "What?" the demon sat up. "What is this?"

North and Jack O'Lantern sat on the opposite side of the cell's bars. "Nice to see you're finally awake." Jack commented.

The demon looked around and spotted the Jólasveinarnir—all twelve of them. Gáttaþefur sat huddled in the corner, ribbons of snot dripping from his giant beak of a nose. "What is all of this?" Krampus demanded.

"This," North placed his hands on the door, his fingers tightened around the bars. "Is your new home. You will be staying in here if you know what is good for you."

"Ha!" the demon laughed mockingly. "You can't make me stay in this cell! I can snap my fingers and the wall will let me out!"

"True." North nodded. His sapphire eyes narrowed dangerously. "But you will not come near my Pitch or my shop again."

"Or my Sam." Jack interjected.

"Because if you do." The Guardian leaned in close. "I will peel you like grape and feed you to your own sack."

The Krampus paled beneath his fur.

"What about us?" Stekkjarstaur whined.

"You will stay in cell." North told him. "Consider it punishment."

The Jólasveinarnir started babbling loudly. "For how long?" Askasleikir demanded.

The Guardian stared at them. He shrugged. "Until I believe you have truly learned lesson and if I remember to come let you out. Unless your friend the Krampus—ˮ North chuckled and shook his head. "Already gone."

The Jólasveinarnir looked at the bed where the hellbeast had been lying just moments ago. There was a hole in the rocky wall already starting to close. Stúfur jogged over to it and hoisted himself onto the bed. The smallest Jólasveinn crawled over to the hole.

"I wouldn't." Jack warned.

Too late. The Gully Imp had already stuck his body halfway in before he realized just where the hole led. Stúfur screamed as the infernal heat and stench of brimstone hit him dead in the face. He tried to back up but a long three-fingered hand with mottled green skin reached through and grabbed Stúfur by his shirt and yanked him into the hole. His brothers could hear Stúfur join the chorus of screams in the background before the portal to Hell closed itself seamlessly.

Jack O'Lantern smiled. "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll give him back…eventually." The Pumpkin King folded his arms and looked at the group sternly. "Now I would suggest the rest of you get used to your new room. Don't worry we'll make sure to pop in every hundred years." He added with a dismissive wave.

Pitch pulled North's coat tighter around his shoulders. Jack Frost had been shocked to see him being led to sleigh half naked but North's grim expression allowed the ice elf to put two and two together. The ride back to Santoff Claussen had been an awkward one. There were obviously questions they wanted to ask, but were afraid to ask. They dropped off Sam with Phil and grabbed the tied up Gáttaþefur, tossed him in the back and hurried back to the Krampus's lair before he regained consciousness. The Jólasveinarnir hadn't been cooperative at first, but a few minutes alone with Toothiana and they quickly and obediently filed into the cell. North and Jack wanted to have a quick word with the Krampus and his cronies before they went home. So, they were forced to sit awkwardly in the sleigh waiting for Jack O'Lantern and North to return.

The Boogeyman gave Frost a sidelong glance. "You don't have to stare at me like that."

A dusting of frost cover Jack's cheeks, "Like what?" the young Guardian said innocently (or as close as he could get).

Pitch gazed at him knowingly. "The Krampus didn't touch me. He tried." He added quickly. "But Nicholas arrived before he could do any real damage."

Bunny looked back at him but didn't say anything and for that Pitch was grateful. He almost wished he stayed behind at the shop, but Phil and the Yetis were busy with Samhain's healing and Pitch felt like he would be underfoot.

Thankfully, North and Jack O'Lantern soon arrived. The Pumpkin King looked strangely satisfied while North's expression was carefully blank, "How'd it go?" Bunnymund asked.

"Well enough." O'Lantern told them.

But Nicholas frowned. "Krampus got away."

Pitch sat up straighter. "He what?!"

"He didn't get away." Jack O'Lantern clarified with a frown. "He fled back to hell like a coward."

Pitch stood up. "And that's supposed to make me feel better?" they could hear the panic in his voice. "North, what if he comes back? What if he tries to hurt you? Or me for that matter?"

Nicholas St. North cupped the Boogeyman's face. "I will never let him hurt you. Never again." He pressed a kiss against Pitch's forehead. "I will protect you with my life."

The Nightmare King fought the urge to roll his eyes. It was a sweet, but utterly impractical sentiment. He didn't tell the Guardian that (he was learning) instead he let North draw him into an embrace. There was a chance that the Krampus could come back and bring his brethren with him. Of course, Pitch smiled. It would mean the demon would have to admit to getting his furry arse handed to him by a jolly fat man and a spirit that usually donned a pumpkin. There was no way the Krampus would be able to share this blow to his pride. _They'd probably laugh at him._ "Let's go home." Pitch said finally. He was tired and ready to put this whole ordeal behind him.

North's entire face brightened like the sky at dawn. "Yes, of course."


	10. Chapter 10

It was dark. Completely black. Sam had no idea what was going on.

The Halloween spirit groaned and brought his hands to his face. The flesh felt hard and cool. Samhain shook his head and balled his hands into fists. He smashed them against his face over and over again. The flesh chipped and a slip of light bled through the crack. Samhain worked until every piece flaked away.

Sam felt his newly reformed face and smiled tiredly. He'd looked for a mirror later and see how it turned out. First thing was first. Where was he? Sam looked around. Red and green quilt, the smell of cookies and yeti fur in the air, and the clank and thuds of tools. North's workshop.

_So the Krampus's plan hadn't succeeded. Pitch must have been happy to hear about that._ Sam thought bitterly. He felt a wave of shame come over him. _Someone deserves a happy ending._

The door to his room opened quietly and a black-haired man with green skin walked in with a tray of warm food and a mug of cocoa. "You're awake." The stranger's eyes widened. A blush crept over his face. "I wasn't expecting you to be awake."

Sam stared at him.

Jack cleared his throat twice. "You fixed your face." He set the tray down. Jack smiled. "I remember that one." He moved the food and drink off the tray and held up the shiny metal so Sam could see his reflection. His face was oval and almost feline in appearance with large almond shaped eyes. There were dark gray stripes on his cheeks. "You had this face when we first met." Jack smiled softly.

Samhain still wouldn't say anything. He just stared at Jack and the Pumpkin King started to fidget under its weight.

"Jack?" Sam's whispered, his voice hoarse.

The Pumpkin King's eyes widened a fraction. He nodded.

"You're…real?"

Jack O'Lantern gave his partner a sad smile. "Yeah." He told Sam. "I'm real." He reached out and took Samhain's hand to prove it.

The Halloween King's face crumbled. The breakdown that had been threatening to surface finally did. He grabbed at Jack's duster and pulled him close, burying his face in the other Halloween spirit's chest. "I thought I'd never see you again!" the words came out in a rush, almost indecipherable because of Sam's crying. "I thought you died and I was wrong! And I'm sorry! You were right and I was wrong and I should have listened to you and—" Sam pulled away to look up at Jack. His jaw dropped. "You've got a face."

"I've always had a face, Sam."

"I know but," Samhain moved a hand to stroke the green flesh. "Not like this." He murmured in amazement. "You've got skin and you're warm and you've got lips."

Jack let Sam explore his new features in silence. The other Halloween Spirit brushed his fingertips over his eyelashes, his nose and brushed his thumb over his lips. Jack shivered under the attention. "Sam…"

Samhain leaned in and kissed Jack softly. Jack sighed and pressed closer. Kissing turned out to be quite enjoyable. His pumpkin head while being just as expressive and feeling as a normal face hadn't really been ideal for this sort of intimacy. _Fuck. Was this what I was missing?_

Jack tensed when he felt Sam's hand trying to take off his shirt. He pulled away. "Sam, no."

The Halloween King pouted. "Why not?" He moved his hands down to Jack's trousers ready to undo his belt.

"No," Jack said firmly. "You're in no condition to do this."

"You don't want me?" Sam asked quietly. "Because of what the Krampus—"

"No! Don't be stupid! Of course I want you, but you're still healing and I want you a hundred percent better before I pursue anything with you."

Sam continued to pout and look at him with those damnable eyes. Now Jack remembered why he hated that face. It was just so hard to deny Samhain anything when he wore it. The Pumpkin King turned away and pulled a chair closer to the bed so he could sit. "You need to eat. Build up your strength."

"I love you, Jack."

The Halloween Spirit started from his chair. "What?"

Sam took a deep breath. "I love you." He repeated. "I've always loved you and when I thought the Krampus killed you I was sad because I never got the chance to tell you."

"What about Pitch Black?"

"I was only using him to make you jealous." Samhain looked his hands. "Sorry."

"Sam," Jack said his tone full of hurt. "Why would you do that?"

"Because you were ignoring me! You slept with me and then you acted as if I wasn't even there! I wanted to hurt you like you hurt me!" Sam wiped his face. "I wanted you to realize that you wanted me as much as I wanted you."

Jack sighed heavily. He placed a hand on Sam's hair. "Goddammit, Sam." He said tiredly. "You can be so infuriating and immature but I love you anyway. Eat up and get some rest."

"Where are you going?"

"I need to go for a walk." Jack told him.

The other spirit started to panic. Sam tried to get out of bed to follow. "You're not going to leave me? I said I was sorry!"

"Sam!" Jack pushed him back down. "Settle down. I'm not leaving you. I'm just—I need—" Jack cursed. "I just need to jerk it, okay? Happy now? Between the kissing and your confession—"

Sam eyed Jack O'Lantern's crotch. His trousers did seem tighter than usual. "Do it here so I can watch."

"Sam," Jack gave him The Voice. "I'm not doing that."

"Please?" the Halloween King whined. "If we can't have sex yet can I at least watch you touch yourself? Better yet! Let me jerk you off!"

Jack opened his mouth then closed it. "Sam. No. I am not comfortable with that."

"Please!"

"No!"

Samhain hugged himself tightly. "H-he hurt me Jack." Sam whispered. "I tried to fight and he did something so despicable. He used your voice while he was…" Sam shuddered.

Jack sat down on the edge of the bed and put a hand on Sam's knee. "Shh. You don't have to talk about it."

Samhain continued as if he hadn't heard. "He sounded just like you and I told myself 'That's not Jack.' 'Jack would never say those things.' But I just couldn't drown him out. And I get that you won't have sex with me because you don't think I'm ready and that's cool because after that—" another shudder—"I'm not. But if you let me touch you and you touch me then maybe I can…" he trailed off. Sam started chewing on his thumbnail. "Never mind." He muttered. "It was stupid idea."

But Jack surprised him by placing his hand on his cheek. "Okay," he said softly. "If you think it'll help. I'll only do this if I can do you too. Deal?"

Sam nodded emphatically. "Deal."

Shit. Jack moved closer to Sam and sat cross-legged. Sam mirrored his actions. "Ready?" the Pumpkin King asked.

Samhain nodded.

_No backing down._ Jack O'Lantern spat in his palm and wrapped it around Samhain's length. The Halloween King whimpered at his touch. "Keep your eyes open." He ordered. Jack started to move his hand, working Samhain's soft member until he was half-hard. "The goal is to not associate me with him." Jack reminded Sam. "And you'll do better with it if you're looking at me."

"R-right." Sam forced his eyes open. _Jack not Krampus. Jack not Krampus._ Sam took Jack into his hand. He loved the feel of Jack. The weight and heat always felt good against his palm.

"Remember to wet it with something. Don't do it dry." Jack reminded him.

Blushing Samhain spat in his palm too. Jack closed his eyes at the touch. "Good," he whispered. "Very good." Jack reopened them. "Promise me if it gets too much you'll tell me to stop."

The Halloween King chewed on his bottom lip. "I promise." He agreed.

_It's good to be home_, North thought as he lowered himself into the tub of hot soapy water. The Guardian's body ached from his fight with the Krampus and this bath was just what the doctor ordered.

The door to his bathroom opened and Pitch, black minus his robe and shoes walked in. "I cannot believe you abandoned me out there." The Boogeyman complained. He shucked his trousers and climbed into the tub.

The elves and yetis had been delighted that the mission was a success and Pitch Black was safely back among them. The elves had all but wrestled Pitch to the ground in their excitement to greet him. North chuckled. "It was not my place to stop celebrations. Elves missed you."

"They were trying to crush me."

"I believe it was more of—ah—over-excited hugging, yes?" It probably would have gone over better if they hadn't dog-piled themselves on the Nightmare King.

Pitch snorted as he lowered himself into the water. The Boogeyman rested his cheek against North's damp chest. The Guardian of Wonder sighed contently and closed his eyes. He liked this; the quiet moments they shared in private.

North wasn't sure what he would do if he had lost Pitch to Krampus but he did know that he would miss the feel of Pitch's skin.

He would have missed the way the Boogeyman clung to him in his slumber, the way he used North's chest as a pillow…

"There isn't enough room for me in the tub." Pitch complained. His mouth dipped into a pout.

Hell, North would have even missed the whining "Is not my fault," the Guardian said. "I did not know I would be sharing it when it was built."

The Nightmare King squirmed. North licked his lips at the sight of the Boogeyman's shapely rear protruding from the water. "Lack of foresight on your part is _not_ my problem." Pitch slid his body against North's. "Have the yetis build you a bigger tub."

"_Nyet_! I would have to give reason!" North protested.

Pitch rolled his eyes. "They aren't idiots, North. They know we're having sex so they know what we'll be doing in here."

The Guardian was petulant. Pitch kissed his chest. "Please?" he nipped at North's warm skin and lapped at the bite. "What would be the harm?"

"You are manipulative."

Pitch smiled. "I am." He agreed. "Do you want me to wash your back?"

It took some maneuvering but North managed to turn. The Boogeyman hummed as he soaped down North's back. The Guardian almost moaned as Pitch worked his tired muscles. "Have you been to see Samhain?" North asked.

Pitch paused before continuing. "Yes." He answered quietly. "Jack was there. He wasn't awake yet. I couldn't stay. He was too still and his face—" Pitch shivered. "I hope he wakes soon. Jack is worrying himself sick."

"He will awaken." North assured him.

Pitch nodded. They both lapsed into silence, content in simply enjoying the other's presence. The fear of almost losing one another still weighed heavily on their minds.

North suddenly started moving; twisting and grunting and sloshing water over the side he turned back to Pitch. "I wasn't done!" Pitch told him. "Your skin is going to dry out if I don't rinse the soap—"

"Marry me."

Pitch stared at him, mouth agape in a most undignified manner. "I-you—what?"

North took a deep breath. "Marry me." He said again.

The Nightmare King shot up and scrambled out of the tub. "You're insane." He almost slipped as he attempted to escape.

North quickly followed. "Why?" he demanded. "Why am I insane?"

"You can't seriously want to marry me, North!"

"Why not?"

"I'm evil. You're a Guardian! I'm corrupt. You're beloved by all! I live to bring fear to children." Pitch walked briskly to the door. He would sleep in his old room until North returned to his senses. "You give them joy and presents! How could you possibly even think about marrying someone like me?"

North grabbed Pitch by the arm and pulled him back into the room. He slammed the Nightmare King against the door. "You are not evil! You never were!" his eyes burned. "Lonely and confused, yes. Evil, no. I love you, Pitch!"

"Stop talking!" Pitch snarled. He kicked at North, trying desperately to get away. "You're only saying this because you almost died! And you almost died because of me! I only bring danger to your life!"

"You are fool! You bring joy and happiness."

"I caused your friends to reject you! Don't you see? You deserve better, North! And that's not—"

North pressed a bruising kiss against Pitch's mouth. "Silence," he ordered in a tone that sent a shiver up Pitch's spine. "Pitch?"

The Nightmare King exhaled shakily. "Yes?"

"You love me, yes?"

Pitch nodded. "Yes." He replied.

"Say it."

The Nightmare King pressed back against the door. "I love you." North's broke out in a stupid grin and Pitch had to suppress the urge to call him an idiot. "You're really serious?"

"_Da_."

Pitch groaned. "What am I going to do with you?" he said fondly.

North laughed loudly and pulled him into his burly arms. Or at least he tried to. Pitch wrenched the door open and using his slenderness to his advantage he slipped out.

Sam was flat against the bed, staring up at Jack O'Lantern. Jack stared down at him. They had progressed. Sam had his arms up around Jack's neck. Jack slid his hips into Sam's.

"Talk to me." Sam pleaded.

Jack nodded. "You're beautiful." He whispered. "I love you so much. Oh Sam, I love you so much. I'll never hurt you, baby." Jack moved to grip the Halloween King's hips and quickened his pace. Samhain cried out and buried his face in the Pumpkin King's throat. Jack growled. "You're mine. You're so beautiful. I love you Sam! And I'll never let anyone hurt you again."

Sam's entire body started to tremble. "More!" he breathed into Jack's ear.

Jack O'Lantern moved his hand under Sam and slipped it into the back of the Halloween spirit's trouser. He slipped his finger inside the Halloween King's pucker and worked it in and out, "I'll never leave you, Samhain." O'Lantern promised. Sam pulled back and stared at him disbelieving. Jack gave him an honest-to-goodness, genuine smile before leaning in to kiss him. "Oh, Sam." He whispered. "My sweet, sweet Sam." Jack pumped his finger faster. Sam's back bowed at the feeling. "No one's going to hurt you again, baby. I'll never let them hurt you."

Sam shuddered against him. His entire body was tense. _He's close._ Jack realized with a smile. "You'll keep me safe?" Samhain asked breathlessly.

"I'll keep you safe." Jack agreed.

The Halloween King groaned loudly. His warm seed spurted into Jack's palm and the Pumpkin King was close behind. Jack O'Lantern rolled off of Sam. He fell back tiredly and smiled. "Feel better?"

Samhain shrugged. "It's a start." He said cheekily.

Jack shoved at him. "Whatever." He grinned. The Pumpkin King rolled onto his side and pressed his nose into the crook of Samhain's neck. Jack loved the smell of him. The Halloween King smelled like caramel apples and chocolate on a cool autumn night. "Love ya, Sam."

Samhain snuggled closer to Jack. "I love you too. Jack?"

"Hmm?"

"I like being kissed by you."

"And I like kissing you." Jack smiled against Sam's skin. "Maybe I can figure out how to switch between my heads." Jack hugged Sam from behind.

"Is Pitch okay?"

Jack fought down the urge to snap at Samhain for bringing up the Boogeyman after all of this. It was a fair question and Sam had a right to know. "He's fine. He came by to see you while you were resting."

Sam stared across the room. "I'm glad." He said softly. With a sigh, he closed his eyes. "I'm tired."

"Go to sleep then."

"Nah." Sam yawned. "We should get home. Lots of preparations for…Halloween."

"Samhain," Jack O'Lantern smiled. "After what we've been through I think we deserve some time off." He spooned his lover. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but the kids can just get store-bought candy this year. I mean—Sam?"

The Halloween King was snoring softly. Jack sighed. "You're on my arm." He kissed the back of Sam's head.

Toothiana had seen many a strange thing in her life but a naked Pitch strolling through North's workshop had to top them all. The Boogeyman ignored them all as he passed, eager to get to his old room.

Tooth and Sandy exchanged a look before moving to follow. "So, Pitch." The Tooth Fairy said conversationally. "Is this a new form of expressing yourself we should know about because in some cultures—"

"North asked me to marry him. I panicked. The end." Pitch increased his pace not understanding that it didn't really matter to flying/floating beings.

"Oh but that's wonderful!" Tooth gushed. "Why aren't you happy?"

"Because I can't be!" Pitch snapped. "He can't want this! Not really!"

Tooth looked bewildered. "Why not? North's crazy about you. He risked his life to save you."

"I know that!" Pitch covered his face with his hands. "You don't understand."

Jack Frost popped his head of the door to see what all the commotion was about, but upon seeing a nude Pitch he quickly pulled his head back inside. "Dude," he turned to Aster who was lying on his bed smiling and basking in post-coital bliss, "You have got to start working on a place for me because I can't deal with much more of this."

Back outside, Tooth and Sandy were trying to console Pitch. "I don't deserve happiness." The Boogeyman moaned. "I don't deserve a sweet man like North or to be a part of his family. Just ask anyone!"

Sandy formed a picture of North and a check mark. "That's right." Toothiana nodded. "North believes you do and his opinion is the only one that counts." She took Pitch's hand and gave it a pat. "I know you're a little freaked out. Who wouldn't be? But North loves you and you love him and if you don't make me the Maid of Honor I will pull every single tooth out of your mouth while you sleep."

"What?"

"What?"

Sandy quickly intervened. His dreamsand formed North and Pitch under a heart and the other Guardians and their helpers celebrating the union. Pitch sighed. "You lot may be happy for us, but everyone else will think I corrupted North or bewitched him somehow."

Sandy made a rude gesture with his sand they had no idea he even knew. Pitch cleared his throat. "Fair enough, I suppose." He smiled. "I'm going to my room to get dressed and then I'm going to find North." He announced. The Boogeyman smiled. "Thank you both."

"You're welcome." Toothiana said brightly. Sandy gave him a double thumbs-up.

They watched him leave. "Sweet molars and incisors," Tooth whistled when Pitch was out of earshot. "Did you see the ass on him?"

A 9.5 flashed over the dreamgiver's head. Sandy grinned and mimed the act of spanking.

Toothiana giggled. "Among other things," she grinned. The fairy queen sobered, "He better make me Maid of Honor."

Sandman flashed some symbols over his head. Toothiana's feathers poofed indignantly. "I do not have psychotic tendencies! Why would you even say that?"

Pitch learned that certain actions yielded certain consequences. For one, the elves seemed to think that since Pitch had walked through the shop naked they were entitled to do the same.

"Jingle and Dingle!" the Boogeyman grabbed their tunics off the floor and ran after the little terrors. "You put these back on this very instant!"

Bunny and Jack watched the elves' antics with barely concealed amusement. "Aw," Bunny grinned. "They just want to be like their mum." When Pitch chased Dingle passed the sofa he paused a moment to smack the Pooka on the back of the head. "Oi!"

"Shut it, rabbit!" Pitch growled. He looked around the work shop. More elves were starting to disrobe. "Enough! You lot better leave your clothes on or-or," he frowned deep in thought. "No dessert for three months!"

The tiny tunics were quickly pulled back into place and order (or what passed for it at North's shop) was restored.

Another thing Pitch learned was that running away after being proposed to tends to hurt the other person.

North hadn't been out of his office in hours. The last time they had seen him was when he came out briefly to see Jack O'Lantern and Samhain off. The Halloween King was fully healed and anxious to get home.

The Guardians were all sitting at the dinner table waiting for him. The Nightmare King stared at North's chair while he fiddled with a salad fork. Only Tooth and Sandman knew what had happened and they tossed sympathetic looks Pitch's way. Jack and Bunnymund were in the dark so to speak, but they could pick up on the mood and kept quiet. Phil shuffled awkwardly in and garbled something.

Pitch sighed heavily. "If he wants to take his dinner up there then he's more than welcome to. Have Johann fix him a tray."

"It's nothing to worry about," Tooth told him. "Sometimes North tends to sulk. This'll all blow over soon enough."

Aster speared a potato. "Anyone care to explain what's going on?"

Pitch sipped from his glass. "Sure." He said brightly. "If you care to explain the mark on Jack's neck."

The ice elf pulled his hood over his head and pulled the drawstrings tight. "Dinner is delicious." He said loudly. Jack took a giant bite of his roasted chicken leg. Bunnymund followed his lead and stuffed his mouth with a new potato.

The Nightmare King smiled smugly. It didn't last because his thoughts soon returned to North and the damage he done with his foolishness.

Contrary to what his friends believed, Nicholas St. North was not upstairs sulking.

He was drinking by his window and talking to Manny.

"I made mess of things." the Guardian lamented. "Pitch has been through much and I propose? Bah!" he took another swig from his bottle. "I am fool."

North listened to his friends counsel. "Of course I believe his feelings for me are genuine! I know exactly what this is! This is, how do you say, _residual_ damage from his relationship with Samhain!" North thrust a finger into the air. "He is afraid of being hurt again! But I would never hurt Pitch." He slumped back into his chair. "I need way to prove it." his eyes brightened. "I know! I will compose ballad and sing it to him!"

MiM made a comment.

"I have lovely singing voice, thank you very much!" North sniffed. "If you are such smart guy then you think of something!"

The Man in the Moon's light beamed through the window and landed on North's safe.

The Guardian stroked his beard. "You are sure about this?"

The Man in the Moon had spoken.

"Very well, but I still think he would like ballad!" North shrugged. "But we will go with your idea, my friend."

Pitch barely participated in the dinner conversation, listening just enough that he could offer the proper response. What was he to do about North? How long would the Guardian be upset? _Things were so much simpler when I lived alone._ Pitch lamented silently. He saw Johann carrying a tray toward the stairs. The Boogeyman had to smile. Even if the yeti was upset that his employer wasn't enjoying his meal at the table, but Johann took his job as chef seriously. There was vase with a single rose on the tray and the silver shined brightly beneath the light.

It seemed that all of Johann's work would be for nothing. North walked into the dining room with a big grin on his face. "My friends, I trust you are well?" the Guardian bowed. "I thank you again for helping with Pitch's rescue. You did not have to and I am thankful."

"We weren't going to abandon him." Bunnymund said. "The past in the past and Pitch has earned his place." He smiled. "He may be a snarky bastard, but he's our snarky bastard."

Pitch placed a hand on his chest. "Why Bunny!" he said with saccharine sweetness. "I'm touched. You keep saying things like that and I might swoon."

The Pooka rolled his eyes.

North continued to smile. "Pitch, I have something to ask you and I want to do it right." He pulled the Boogeyman from his seat.

"North," Pitch tried to tug his hand away. "What are you doing?"

North dropped to a knee. He stared up at his lover with those beautiful blue eyes. "Pitch," he reached into his pocket. "_Ti viydesh zamuzh za menya_?"

"English, North."

The Guardian chuckled. He displayed the key and there was collective gasp throughout the room. "Will you marry me?" he slid the key into the hole. The click of the bracelet unlocking was thunderous to Pitch's ears. "It does not matter if you say yes or no." He moved to unlock the other one. "Bunny is right. You have earned your place here." North let the bracelets fall to the floor.

"North, I," Pitch swallowed. He rubbed at his wrists. "Why would you do this?"

"Because I love you." North looked frustrated that the Nightmare King wasn't getting it. "And I will not keep you prisoner."

"But the Man in the Moon—"

"This was his idea." The Guardian told him. "He approves."

Pitch stared at North. "I could leave." He said. "Leave and never come back." His golden eyes glittered. "You've given me my powers back. I don't need you anymore."

North shrugged. "Then leave. No one would stop you. But," he smiled sadly. "There would be many who would miss you. I would miss you."

The Nightmare King bared his teeth in a silent snarl. His entire body slumped. "You are a fool." Pitch muttered. "A manipulative old fool. God, between you and the elves I have no idea how I'll live here and not lose my bloody mind."

Nicholas St. North beamed. "Does that mean…?"

"Yes, you idiot." Pitch pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll marry you."

North whooped loudly and jumped up. Laughing, he pulled Pitch off of feet into a bone-crushing hug. The elves screamed their delight, crowding around North's feet, hopping up and down in excitement. Phil, who had gone into the kitchen for a quick coffee break, wiped a tear away and went to tell the other yetis the news.

Jack leaned over to whisper to Aster. "Seriously, how fast can you make my room?"

Pitch smiled at North. The Guardian of Wonder started to pull him closer for a kiss—

They were interrupted by a loud cough.

The others looked over at Toothiana who was whistling loudly and casually rubbing down her pliers with a napkin.

The Tooth Fairy lifted her eyes and smiled sweetly.

Both Pitch and North blanched. "A-and of course, Toothiana just has to be my Maid of Honor!" the Boogeyman stammered.

"_Da_!" North agreed emphatically. "She just has to be!"

"Oh really, you guys!" Tooth gushed. "That's just so unexpected!" she fluttered over and took Pitch by the arm. "Come on! We have got a lot of planning to do!"

"North! Don't let her take me!"

"Geez," Jack shook his head. "She does know that this isn't her wedding."

The Easter Bunny clapped a paw over the ice elf's mouth. "Are you crazy? She might here ya!"


	11. Chapter 11

_Epilogue_

Planning a wedding is difficult they soon discovered. They were met with all sorts of problems mostly stemming from the fact that they couldn't agree on anything.

For starters, North and Pitch disagree on when the ceremony should be held.

"If we hold it in the winter you'll be too busy with work." Pitch reminded him. The Boogeyman folded his arms. "And after Christmas you'll be too tired."

"Well, we can't have it in Spring! Bunny would not be able to come! And since we are inviting Sam and Jack O'Lantern Fall is out too!"

They couldn't agree on what would be worn.

"But Pitch," North held up the bright red robe with a holly green belt. "This is perfect! You will look so handsome."

"Nicholas, the only way I'll touch that thing is if I'm setting it on fire!"

But what they could agree on was that this wedding would be the happiest moment in their lives. When they lay in bed at night, finalizing plans and the menu, falling asleep amongst the papers, Pitch reaches out to grasp North's hand.

Pitch asked North if they skip seating arrangements. "Why?" the Guardian asked with a frown.

Pitch pretended to be engrossed in his examination of the appetizer menu. "Well, it seems like my seats will on the empty side." He tried for an indifferent tone.

North's eyes softened. He had known this would be a concern ever since Bunnymund joked about the "bride" side of the seating chart. Pitch had taken being referred to as a bride just about as well as he did to being called Mrs. Claus. It had taken North twenty minutes to convince Pitch to help the Pooka get off the roof. "We can allow them to sit where they wish."

Pitch smiled. He put the menu aside. "How ever did you convince the other spirits to come? I would think they'd snub you after the Christmas Party incident."

The Guardian of Wonder looked uncomfortable. "They…decided to come to see if the wedding truly happens." He muttered. At Pitch's hurt expression he quickly stepped forward. "I only mean that they think that this is some sort of trick."

"Of course they would think that." The Boogeyman said bitterly. He turned away. "They just can't seem to understand what you would ever see in the evil Pitch Black."

North placed his hands on Pitch's shoulders. He kissed the top of the Nightmare King's head. "You are not evil and if they are too stupid to see why I love you then that is their problem. We are happy. To hell with them."

Pitch smiled at the sentiment. "Well, let's get back to work. How many models have you made?"

"Twenty-seven." North said proudly.

The Boogeyman nodded. "Go finish eleven more while I see if anyone has RSVP'd." he kissed North on the cheek. "I'll have Johann prepare your lunch."

North turned his head to capture Pitch's lips. The Nightmare King moaned lightly. "We could go upstairs together." Nicholas suggested huskily. He grinned. "I can clear off worktable."

Pitch slapped his shoulder. "Enough!" a dark flush covered his cheeks. "Quit procrastinating," the Boogeyman smoothed down his robe. He walked over to the door and stopped. Turning back, he smiled. "But perhaps there will be time later."

_Two years later—June_

It was a warm summer day at the Pole, a whopping five degrees Fahrenheit, on the day Nicholas St. North, Guardian of Childhood Wonder was to wed Pitch Black, the Boogeyman and Nightmare King, and his former enemy.

The Globe Room was being used for the ceremony and the spirits were waiting for it to begin. Jack Frost took his seat by Bunny in the front row. The Guardian of Fun was wearing a black suit for the wedding. He tugged at his blue tie. "I hate this thing." He muttered.

Bunnymund wore an ivy green vest with a black tie. Aster smiled and helped the ice elf fix it back into place. "Look on the bright side," the Pooka grinned. "You manage to talk them out of making you wear shoes."

"Yeah, thank the stars for small favors." Jack wriggled his bare toes. He looked over to his left and spotted Jack O'Lantern. The Halloween Spirit waved at him. Jack's pumpkin head had regrown itself. The Pumpkin King looked dashing in his black waistcoat with a crimson red silk shirt underneath; his black breeches were tucked into calf-high black boots. "How's Sam doing?" Jack whispered.

Aster leaned over. "Jack said he's doin' a lot better. They're takin' it slow so he doesn't freak out. Krampus really did a number on him." The Pooka shook his head. "He's gettin' there. Hey, Jacko been meanin' to ask—what's with yetis?" The Pooka nodded at the furry giants who were patrolling the corners of the room.

"North has them there as a precaution." Jack shrugged. He eyed the other spirits.

Bunny wanted to what North was expecting to happen, but he let it go. "I can't believe North invited all of these people." The Easter Bunny frowned at the whispering spirits. "They're only here to gawk."

Jack was going to reply, but Olga had started playing the Pachelbel's _Canon in D_. The room went quiet as Sandman walked Toothiana down the aisle.

Dingle acted as the ring bearer or at least tried to. There were just too many things to attract the elf's attention. To get him to the altar, Sandy had to wave a cookie. "He did so well in the rehearsal." Bunny commented.

"I think Pitch may have given him something." Jack whispered back.

North marched into the room, head held high and smile bright and happy. Nicholas had opted against wearing his traditional red attire because he wanted to match with Pitch. His black frock coat was simple but elegant, the black buttons shined beneath the light. As compromise North was wearing a red. The Guardian took his place by Sandy and grinned. He met Jack and Bunny's gaze and winked.

The mini-fairies led by Baby Tooth carried a basket down the aisle. Baby Tooth and another fairy darted to and fro throwing petals down. Baby Tooth noticed Jack and with an excited chirp she flitted over to her friend, twirling to model her pretty red dress. Jack grinned and Bunny chuckled. "Yes, it's very pretty." The young Guardian whispered. "But maybe you should get back to work? Those flower petals won't scatter themselves." Baby Tooth covered her mouth with her hands and darted back to her sisters. With an apologetic peep, she and the other fairies continued.

The yetis opened the door and Pitch walked in his arm hooked with Samhain's. Sam was equally handsome in his attire. Jack had managed to find him something to wear that wasn't entirely brown. His waistcoat was black with gold buttons in the shapes of bats and a white shirt; he wore sand brown breeches with his black boots. Even his hair was neat, tied back into ponytail and his bangs combed and styled so they didn't hang in his face so much.

The Nightmare King looked regal in his robe of black silk. The midnight-colored fabric hugged the Boogeyman's body and more than one pair of eyes begrudgingly admired his form as he swept past. Acting as a belt, a crimson sash identical to North's hung around Pitch's hips. Unfortunately, it was what Pitch _wasn't_ wearing that got some of the spirits' attention.

"Where are the bracelets?" someone hissed.

"He's free?"

"How long has that been going on?"

"Witchcraft and trickery!"

Over at her piano, Olga slammed her paws down on the keys. The jarring note along with the yeti's glare caused the chatter die. Pitch tossed her an appreciative glance before continuing his way to the altar.

He stood before North and allowed a smile to grace his lips. The Guardian of Wonder was practically vibrating he was so excited. Sam took Pitch's right hand and placed in on North's left. Father Time acted as the wedding's officiator. He was always eager to find new things to document in his Book of Time and you didn't get more historical than this.

"Shall we begin?" Father Time asked. He leaned on his walking stick. "Friends, Spirits, and Supernatural Beings we are gathered here today to bear witness the union between Nicholas St. North and Pitch Black. During the time they have been together they have overcome many trials and allowed their love to blossom. Their marriage will open many doors and many hearts. This marriage, blessed by the Man in the Moon himself, will usher in a new era and it is my sincerest hope that only peace and beauty grace you in the future. Is there anyone here who may have a reason that these two should not be married?"

"Really now?" The Groundhog stood up. "Are we really going to sit here and allow this _farce_ to continue?" the groundhog took off his spectacles and wiped them.

"Ruddy Groundhog!" Bunny started to stand. Jack placed a hand on his arm.

"Ease up. North has it covered." The youngest Guardian grinned.

North gave Phil a discreet nod.

Groundhog was still ranting. "This is ludicrous and quite frankly an abomination! I cannot sit here and let this continue!" the spirit missed the yeti approaching him from behind. Phil clubbed the marmot on the back of the head. The Groundhog doubled over and the yeti threw him over his shoulder and carried him from the room.

Pitch and North gave the remaining guests very pointed looks.

Father Time looked visibly shaken, but he kept going as if nothing had happened. "The grooms have prepared their vows."

"Pitch," North smiled. "You have come so far. When you were brought to my workshop injured from the Nightmares, I could never imagine the happiness you bring to me. And yet now I cannot imagine a worse horror than waking up with you not being here." The Guardian cleared his throat. "I swear to offer you protection, fidelity, and love. I swear to always treat you as an equal. I love you Pitch Black and I will continue to do until day I die and beyond. I will be your protector and your strength when you need me to be. I will be there to keep you warm."

Pitch had to compose himself before he stated his vows. "Nicholas," the Boogeyman said warmly. "I never thought that I would be standing here before you. A decade ago, my fondest desire was your destruction. I was so filled with distrust and anger and pain." He closed his eyes. "I wanted to close myself off to everyone. And you came along. You saved me. You could have treated me like an obligation, but instead you sought to include me in your life and your family and for that I am grateful. I thought you were an idiot—still do at times—but you're exactly the type of person I need and the person I want. I love you, Nicholas St. North. I am so glad that you brought me into your life," Pitch grinned and ducked his head. "And refused to let me go. I swear to love you until the day that _I_ die and beyond. I swear to treat you as my equal, my other half, and my world because that is how I see you. I will be your strength. I will be your protector."

"Got something in your eyes, Jack?" Bunny grinned.

The ice elf hastily wiped his face. "Kiss my ass, Pooka!" he hissed.

"Mm, maybe later if you're good."

Father Time smiled. "Present the rings."

Sandy floated forward and handed the rings to North. The Guardian took his with shaky hands.

"With this ring," North smiled. "I thee wed. With my body, I thee worship. With my heart, I thee cherish. Would all that I am, I give unto you. Would all that I have, I share with you from this day until forever done."

Pitch took North's hand. "With this ring, I thee wed. With my body, I thee worship. With my heart, I thee cherish. Would all that I am, I give unto you. Would all that I have, I share with you from this day until forever done."

Father Time's wrinkled face brightened. "As the power vested in me by the Man in the Moon, I now pronounce you partners in life. You may now kiss your husband."

North swooped Pitch into his arms and dipped him low before planting a particularly smoldering kiss on the Nightmare King's lips.

The room broke out into a cheer (after all the yetis were still watching) as the new couple made their way down the aisle.

The reception was a boisterous event, especially after the yeti-wine was broken out. Toothiana laughed gaily as she danced with a satyr with a rakish grin. Sandy was enjoying a conversation with kitsune with striking yellow eyes and an impressive décolletage. North's booming laugh could be heard over the music.

Pitch cornered both Jack and Bunny. "So," the ice elf grinned. "Congratulations." Jack held out his hand.

The Nightmare King eyed the hand being offered before leaning in and giving Jack a hug. Jack's expression was comical. Pitch straightened and smoothed his robe. "Thank you," he said with a smile. "Now, when are you going to tell North that you're moving in with Bunny?"

Aster started from the wall he had been leaning on. "How the hell did you know about that?" the Pooka demanded.

Pitch gave him a scathing look. "Oh please. I'm not an idiot. Jack moving out would be an obvious response to me marrying Nicholas." The Boogeyman sighed and pressed down Jack's mussed hair and straightened his tie.

Jack stared at his feet. "You think he'll be upset?"

"Of course he will be, you silly boy. North is quite fond of you. As am I. Regardless, you need to let him know." He looked at Bunny. "About everything," Pitch added. The Boogeyman sighed again. "I have to go toss the bouquet. It was one tradition Toothiana said we definitely had to keep." He turned to walk away, but stopped. Pitch turned back to look at them. "For what it's worth, I'm happy for you both." The Nightmare King smiled. "You make a good couple. Bunny, if you hurt him I will break your legs."

E. Aster Bunnymund watched Pitch leave. He threw his arm around Jack's shoulder. "Looks like I got your mum's blessing. Now I just got to work on your dad."

"I'm so telling Pitch you called him that."

Bunny's ears stiffened. "You wouldn't dare."

Jack Frost rolled his eyes. "Come on. Let's go watch the bouquet toss. Five bucks says Tooth pushes someone."

"Ha! Twenty bucks says she gets into a fistfight!"

A group had already to form. "No fair!" a dryad complained. "No fair using your wings, Toothiana!"

The Tooth Fairy whirled around. "Yeah? Well no fair using your fucking vines, you sap-sucking bitch!"

"Tooth, please!" North rubbed his head. "Language!"

Tooth popped her knuckles. "Throw it!" she ordered.

Pitch sighed and did as he was told. The bouquet of blossoms flew through the air. Spring caught it. "Ha!" she squealed.

The nature spirit wasn't prepared for the crazy that was Toothiana in full wedding-mode.

The Tooth Fairy tackled Spring and clawed at her eyes. "Mine! Give it to me! Mine!"

"Oh for fuck's sake." Pitch sighed. He and Johann had to both pry Tooth off. "Tooth, let go of her hair!"

"Should we help?" Sam asked Jack O'Lantern over cake.

The pumpkin-headed spirit gave him a look. "Are you nuts?" he stroked his head. "I just got this bad boy back. Tooth would crush it in a second."

Samhain grinned. "Can we just agree that we're not going to throw the bouquet at our wedding?"

Jack took his hand. Their engagement rings twinkled. "Agreed."

Bunny folded his arms and smiled smugly at Jack Frost. "You owe me twenty bucks."

The ice elf scowled. "Can't I just give you a blowjob and call it even?"

"…ok."

"Tooth, let her go!" Pitch yelled. "North! A little help?"

"For god's sake, Spring!" April Fool yelled from over by the table. "Just let go of the damned bouquet!"

Spring flung what was left of the flowers. Tooth was after them before they hit the ground. "Hooray!" she cheered. Toothiana displayed the flowers. "I caught them."

Spring nursed her bloody nose. She glared at Tooth. "It doesn't count if you don't catch them first, you crazy bitch!"

Tooth scowled. "I'll show you crazy!" she lunged at Spring and grabbed her hair.

"Not again!" Pitch yelled. He grabbed the Tooth Fairy around the waist and yanked. Tooth was pulled away but she brought sizable chunk of Spring's blonde hair with her. "Phil! Take Toothiana to her chair. Klaus! Please see to Lady Spring."

North walked up with two servings of cake. "Great party, yes? Very memorable."

"North, Toothiana just got into a fight with Spring over fucking weeds. I have blood on my wedding robes. I think Dingle may have stolen an entire tier of the wedding cake. I found Jingle swimming naked in the punch bowl. The Sandman just drunkenly groped my ass—no don't get upset. He's so blitzed I doubt he'll even remember doing it." Pitch took a breath. He smiled. "So yes. This has been the greatest and most memorable night of my life."

North laughed. "Welcome to the family." He chortled. "You're one of us now, my love."

Pitch moved into the Guardian's embrace. He pressed his face against North's coat and inhaled the Guardian's scent. He was happy. He was safe. He was wanted and loved.

This _is where I belong._ "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

**The story is now over, but I had a request for a Jack O'Lantern/Samhain side-story about. I think I'll work on that.**


	12. Chapter 12

Samhain stared at the outside of the factory door. He pulled his hat down further over his head and frowned. He couldn't believe the Man in the Moon was making him pair up with this Jack O'Lantern guy and all because one little prank went south.

_Don't see what the big deal is_, Sam frowned even more. _They managed to get the fires out and now the kids will have something to talk about._

So because a few kids got singed he was stuck with some pumpkin-headed poser. Samhain sighed and pushed the doors open. "Hello?"

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd finally get the nerve to walk in here." Jack O'Lantern descended the stairs. His enchanted pumpkin face coolly appraised the newcomer. "Samhain?"

The other Halloween Spirit nodded. "Call me Sam."

"Sam?" Jack looked confused. "But your name is pronounced 'Saow-en' so why—"

"Because then everyone would be running around and calling me 'Sow' which would be horrible."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Well, Sam. As per MiM's request you will be living here for now on. We will share the duties of Halloween and ensure that every child has a magical night." Jack O'Lantern smiled. "Any questions?"

Sam shook his head. The Man in the Moon said that this shouldn't be taken as a punishment; that Sam just had to be supervised because his excitement caused things to get out of hand. He could feel outraged tears sting his eyes. "Do I get a room?"

"Of course!" O'Lantern gestured for Sam to follow him. "Your room's down the hall from mine. Once you get settled I'll show the rest of the factory. The area that's used to manufacture candy is downstairs. Are you hungry? I just redid the kitchen…"

Sam listened to the Pumpkin drone on as they kept moving. The Halloween King decided that he'd cut the tour short by hiding in his room for the rest of the evening. Just because he had to live and work with Jack O'Lantern didn't mean he had to make an effort to be friendly.

_He hates it here. _Jack stared up in the direction Samhain's room. The Halloween King had been in there for the better part of the day. _He hates _me_. Not that I can blame him._ Jack had no idea why he let the Man in the Moon convince him that letting Sam stay here was a good idea. Just because they were both spirits of Halloween didn't mean they would get along.

Jack slouched down in his easy chair. He wanted this to work. When those kids had almost gotten hurt there had been some spirits who thought Samhain should be brutally punished even though it was an accident. Thankfully, MiM decided that what Sam really needed was someone who could supervise him; someone who could keep him from making those bad decisions. Of course, for all his wisdom the Man in the Moon didn't seem to realize that Samhain would still take this poorly. Having to be supervised like he was a child didn't sit right with him and since he couldn't take his frustration out on Manny then that just left his new warden.

_How am I supposed to do that when he won't even talk to me?_ Jack was at a lost. He scratched the side of his head. He unwrapped a chocolate and popped it into his mouth. After swallowing it, he ate the wrapper to feed his flame.

O'Lantern sighed and looked over at the clock. Halloween was tomorrow and he should be in bed but he couldn't stop thinking about Sam.

His face.

His eyes.

So beautiful…

_No!_ Jack shook himself. No, these were not the kind of thoughts you had for someone you were supposed to be in charge of. Samhain was his responsibility.

You're not supposed to desire your responsibility. At least not in _that_ way.

O'Lantern sighed and tapped on his chair's arm. It crouched down low enough for him to safely land on the floor. He stretched and yawned. Maybe a good's night sleep was all he needed. After all he had a big night tomorrow delivering candy.

_Halloween _

Jack O'Lantern always felt like spirits and beings who were tied to certain things strengthened as those times approached. As he gunned his engine, Jack grinned. This was his night.

"Uhhn…"

Oh yeah. And Sam's night too. The Halloween King hadn't taken to the flying motorcycle too well. He was currently hanging on to Jack's middle, the side of his face pressed against the Pumpkin King's shoulder and his eyes shut tight.

Jack was a little ashamed to admit that he gunned the engine again just so that hold around his waist would tighten.

Once they were back on the ground Jack handed Sam a sack filled with candy. "Come on," he said brightly. "We have a lot to do."

Sam followed him never saying a word. To fill the silence, Jack hummed a few Halloween-themed songs to himself. It so unfair that the brunt of the holiday music out there was devoted to Christmas while he had to be happy with songs inspired by Halloween or that over-done "Monster Mash". North didn't even know half of his songs! Jack remembered how the gift-giver completely butchered "Silver Bells" and "Holy Night".

They started in a suburb. Jack and Sam peered into a window. There's a white-haired lady dressed as the Red Queen from the Disney version of Alice and Wonderland placing a plastic bowl by the door.

"Ugh!" O'Lantern frowns. "Black licorice, circus peanuts and boxes of raisins? Loser candy and trash!" Jack waved his hand and green flame surrounded the woman's bowl once her back was turned. Pumpkin-shaped chocolates with gooey caramel centers, gummi skeletons and bats, and milk chocolate skulls filled the bowl and Jack smiled.

"What's to keep her from throwing away the candy?" Sam asked. It was the first thing he said that evening.

O'Lantern's chest swelled with pride. "Well, the candy has been charmed. To her it looks like the crap she was about to serve, but to every kid who gets it, it'll appear as it is." He chuckled. "She'll be so popular and won't even know why."

Sam followed Jack as he deposited his candy into the bowls of different houses. "Why do you even bother?" Samhain asked. "They can get candy from the—"

Jack O'Lantern whirled around. "_Don't_ say it!" the flames in his eyes flared. "Don't say they can get candy from a store!" Jack took a breath. "My candy is infinitely better than _anything_ that can be bought a store." He walked on. "You see, Sam. Halloween is special to me. It gives me a chance to walk around and see all the decorations and kids having fun" he smiled. "It's my night. A night where I truly feel at peace."

Samhain nodded. He felt the exact same way. They stood beside a tree and watched as a small group of children knocked on the door of the house they'd been to. The children stopped right in front of them to see what they got.

"Whoa! Look at this pumpkin!" a girl dressed as a chocolate chip cookie gushed.

"Didn't even know they made candy like this!" her brother, a bottle of milk said.

"Gummi bats!" a chubby little boy dressed in a Dalmatian suit hopped up and down. "So cool!"

Jack smiled happily at Sam. "See?" the Pumpkin King's smile evaporated at the sight of three bikes barreling toward the kids. The bikes came to a stop and three large children wearing hockey masks loomed over the smaller ones.

"What have we here?" the leader pulled up his mask. He had a missing front tooth and a face full of freckles and messy brown hair. "Nice costumes, dweebs."

"Watcha got in the sack," the boy on the red bike asked with a slight lisp.

"Candy." The Cookie replied quietly.

"Candy." The final boy mimicked. His bike was a poisonous green with a snake sticker on the handle bar.

The leader yanked the bag from the Cookie and rummaged inside. "Whoa! Score!" he grabbed a pumpkin.

"That's mine!" Cookie whimpered and made a grab for her bag.

The boy shoved her away. "And now it's mine." He sneered as he unwrapped the chocolate.

Jack loomed behind the bullies, the flames in his eyes dancing. "Now, kids," he drawled. "I know my candy is delicious, but I can't abide stealing." He placed a fingertip on the candy just as the bully brought it to his lips.

"Oh! Bleh!" the kid spat it out. "This taste like mud!" he wiped his mouth and looked at the chocolate. He looked at the little girl. "You little snot! You tricked me!"

"I didn't!" the girl stammered. She screamed when the bully grabbed her.

"You eat this and tell me it doesn't taste like mud!" he shoved the half eaten piece of candy into her mouth.

Cookie chewed slowly. "It doesn't taste like mud." She said. "It tastes like caramel!"

The boy's jaw dropped. His friends looked at him curiously. "You feeling okay, Simon?" the boy on the green bike asked.

"Shut up, Jermaine!" Simon snapped. He tossed Jermaine a gummi bat. "Eat this."

Jermaine shrugged and did as he was told. Jack O'Lantern sidled up next to him and touched the candy. He spat it out too. "Ugh! Tastes like sweaty gym socks!"

Simon glared at the kids. He took the gummi bat and shoved it Cookie's brother. "Eat it." he ordered. "And tell me what it tastes like."

The boy chewed slowly. He looked at his sister helplessly. "It tastes fine." He whispered.

"What?"

"I said it tastes fine." The little boy shrugged. "Maybe you guys just have a bad taste in your mouths."

Simon's face turned beet red. "I do not have a bad taste in my mouth!" he signaled for the other boys to get off their bikes. "You little toerags think it's funny to give us rotten candy?"

"We didn't give it to you." Dalmatian boy pointed out. "You took it."

"Shut up, Randy!" the girl hissed.

"Yeah _Randy_," Simon scowled. "Listen to your friend." The bullies circled the kids.

Jack leaned over the abandoned bikes and whispered softly to them. Blowing a bright blue flame into the palm of his hand he traced a symbol into each bike. "Up you go."

To the children's amazement the three bikes stood upright. "What the heck is going on?" Simon demanded.

His bike and the bike of his two cohorts turned and sped off in the opposite direction. "My bike!" Simon squealed. "Hey!" he and his lackeys dropped the stolen sacks of candy and took up chase.

"What was that about?" Randy asked.

The girl shrugged. She picked up her bag of candy. "Big kids are weird."

Sam walked over to Jack. The spirit looked amazed. "You pranked them!" he said in astonishment.

"Yeah." Jack shrugged. "I don't like candy stealers."

"But I thought you didn't like pranks."

"Who told you that?"

Sam blushed. "I thought that was why I was paired with you." He admitted. "So you'd stop me from pranking people."

"Sam," Jack draped an arm around the Halloween King's shoulder. "No one ever said you had to stop pranks, but what you did was dangerous."

"It wasn't supposed to be!" Sam protested.

O'Lantern nodded. "I know. It was an accident. Those things happen from time to time, but I was chosen to be your partner because I know when to stop things before they go too far." He smiled again. "That being said, no one said that you had to stop pranking and having fun on Halloween! Come on!" Jack took Samhain by the hand and broke out in a run.

The two Halloween Spirits darted down the streets, weaving past Trick or Treaters and slipping treats into their bags. They stopped in a front of a house with a rooster mailbox. The kids grumbled and complained. Apparently, the owners had given out apples as treats. "Aren't you going to switch the stuff?" Sam asked.

Jack shook his head. "Love to, but I can't." he frowned. He tapped on the mailbox. "The couple that live here are dentists. I can't even prank them. If I do, I'll have to deal with Toothiana's bitching for the next three months." The Pumpkin scowled. "Can't even TP their stupid trees."

Sam grinned.

Jack gasped loudly. "A smile!" he said in mock-awe. "I can't believe it!"

Samhain blushed and pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes. O'Lantern chuckled and tried to pull it back up. "Oh come on!" the Pumpkin King chided. "Don't be that way. I was just kidding." He pulled Sam's hand away and looked into the other spirit's eyes.

They were so damned pretty…

Jack O'Lantern coughed loudly and turned away. "Right! Let's get back to delivering candy!"

Sam's brow creased in confusion but he shrugged it off and followed the Pumpkin King. As they walked, Sam actually tried to strike up a conversation. "So what's your favorite type of prank?"

Jack O'Lantern grinned. "Well, a few years ago I overheard these ladies talking about how Halloween was corrupting today's youth. Promoting disorderly conduct or some bullshit like that while drinking some fancy coffee, so I just lean over and plop a pellet into one of the cups and snap my fingers." He grinned. "A big, fat spider crawls out of Lady Number One's cup and skitters up her arm. She and her friend start screaming and trying to knock it off, but I made it so they can't touch it, at least," Jack's eyes flickered mischievously. "Not until it gets to her hair. The second it does, Lady Number Two tried to swat at with her hand just as I hoped she would. The 'spider' exploded upon contact and turned into this sticky mush that hardened within seconds." Both Jack and Sam are doubled over with laughter by now. "You should have seen it! Her hand is glued to her friend's head and they have to walk home like that!" the Pumpkin King chortled. "I mean it wore off two hours later, but it was still golden!"

Samhain wiped an eye. "I had no idea you were so cool!" he grinned. He blushed. "I mean—"

Jack O'Lantern waved a hand. "No. I get it." he smiled. "Come on. We don't have much time left." He looked into their sacks. "We're almost done. Let's head back to my bike. We can fly to the next location."

Sam sighed and pressed his cheek against Jack's back. It wasn't so bad once you got used to it. The Halloween King's eyes widened when he felt Jack brush his thumb over his knuckles. He tried to look at Jack's face, but the Pumpkin King had his eyes forward.

_What the hell was I thinking?_ Jack cursed himself mentally. _Don't fucking touch him!_

They managed to circle the globe that night. They left small bags of chocolate on the window sills of sleeping Swedish children for Alla Helgons Dag. In Mexico, Spain and Latin America, Jack had Samhain leave little coffins of candy and bread loaves for El Dia de los Muertos. They left tiny bags of sweets as late gifts for the Korean August festival of Chusok, the Japanese Obon festival, and the Yue Lan festival in Hong Kong and left little lanterns for the Chinese Teng Chieh as well as extra paper for the construction of the boats. After leaving Asia, they headed back to Europe. Sam and Jack left even more candy next to the knives outside the German homes before flying to the UK and helping out a few flustered British grannies by leaving a bowl of candy on their counters to pass out to the children who may come by. "They don't really have a Halloween over here." Jack explained. "But British kids took a shine to trick or treating so I like to help out."

"And they just pass out candy that magically appeared on their counters?" Sam was walking along a curb.

"Well, yeah. They always think that they bought it earlier and forgot about it." Jack shrugged. "I don't think they want to disappoint the kids either."

France was tricky. There was a backlash against Halloween there because it wasn't a traditionally French holiday. "The older folks think that it's rude and disrespectful because it falls on a day where they traditionally go and pay their respects to their dearly departed." Jack lamented. "I also gotta deal with the fact that there are people who think it's just another way for America to impose their culture and corporate influence on the rest of the world." O'Lantern sighed heavily.

"So what do we do?"

"If you see a home with a jack o'lantern then leave some candy. If not, well it's better to just leave them alone."

They left France and headed to Canada, left there and headed back south. The bags were almost empty by the time they got to Mississippi. "We," Jack gave Samhain an affectionate punch in the shoulder. "Are almost done!"

Sam sat down on the hood of a car and rubbed his feet. "Good." He muttered.

The Pumpkin King chuckled. "Don't be a wuss!"

Sam sniffed and got to his feet. "Let's go."

Samhain got into a better spirit as the night progressed. By the time the last of the candy was passed out, the Halloween King was grinning from ear to ear. Jack noticed and smiled to himself.

They were heading back to the motorcycle when Jack O'Lantern spied a little girl standing near a bush. She was dressed as a pumpkin, orange paint on her rounded little cheeks. "One more prank before we call it a night?" Jack looked over at Sam.

"Sure. Why not?"

They breathed some magic into the bush.

The bush shook to life, startling the girl. Her green eyes went wide as it grew in size and growled ferociously at her. When it started barking like a giant angry dog she fell back onto her rump and cried in terror. The animated plant lunged forward pulling itself apart from its roots for a chance to attack the bawling child.

Jack had a worried expression on his face. He waved a hand and the bush returned to normal. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

Sam shrugged. "So she got a little scared. Isn't that the point of Halloween?"

"Of course not! Look at her! She's got to be—what? Three? I only meant to give her a little startle not terrify her!" Jack's eye flames flared. "_He's_ here."

"Who?"

"Pitch Black."

At the mention of his name, the Boogeyman appeared from behind the tree. Barely glancing at the girl now being comforted by her mother, he glided over to the two Halloween Spirits.

"Jack O'Lantern and Samhain," Pitch Black dipped his head in a bow. "So good to see."

"Hi!" Sam waved.

Jack O'Lantern crossed his arms and glared at the encroaching spirit. "Why are you here?" he demanded.

Pitch looked taken aback by the Pumpkin King's anger. "I have just as much right to this night as you do. People love fear on Halloween."

"No one wants you here!" Jack barked. He surged forward. "You don't do anything but ruin this night!"

"That's not true!"

"Really?" Jack gestured over to the little girl. "She was just supposed to get a little startle! You show up and now she's going to have nightmares for years! Of course," he sneered. "That would suit you just fine, wouldn't it _Nightmare King_?"

Pitch set his jaw and looked away. "I was just trying to help."

"Yeah," Jack O'Lantern said crossly. "Help yourself maybe."

Samhain fidgeted. "Look, it was an honest mistake. The kid'll be fine once she gets home."

Pitch smiled at the Halloween King. "My sincerest gratitude, Samhain." Sam grinned rakishly and doffed his hat. The Boogeyman blushed and broke out in a grin.

Jack watched the interaction with displeasure. Sucking in the surrounding light, he doubled in size. "Go away!" the giant Jack bellowed. Both Sam and Pitch jumped back at the sight of him. "Go away!" Fire billowed from his mouth. "Leave!" Jack pounded the ground, threateningly.

Pitch's face paled and he quickly slipped back into the shadows. Once he was sure Pitch was gone, Jack returned back to normal. He turned to Sam who was watching him with wide, frightened eyes.

"Hey it's okay." Jack O'Lantern spread his hands. "I'm sorry you had to see that. He just…" he sighed. "He just rubs me the wrong way." Jack put his hand on Sam's back. "Let's just go home. It was a pretty fun night, right?"

Sam finally smiled. "Yeah it was."

There would be many more fun Halloweens after that. Samhain and Jack O'Lantern went well together. Over breakfast they would chat about new prank ideas as well as new candies. At night before bed they went over designs for easier ways to transport the candy. Jack still liked going by his motorcycle, but Sam thought there might be a more effective way.

Jack thought his attraction to the other Halloween spirit would lessen over time, but to his dismay with each smile and laugh that was directed him caused his insides to coil. And to make matters worse, Jack was starting to think that Samhain reciprocated his feelings. Why else would the Halloween King be so keen to be so close to him when they were overlooking plans and go over routes? Why else would he cling to Jack even when the bike was off and on the ground?

Jack grinned, happily listening to Sam's delighted laughter. They were watching a woman swipe egg yolk from her hair. She had decided that she wanted to blow out her jack o'lantern early even though the tradition was to wait until midnight. Unfortunately, for her Jack and Sam had been in her neighborhood just as she knelt down to pick up her pumpkin. Doubly unfortunate, she'd been caught an hour after some kid had made the comment (while eating O'Lantern's chocolates) that the best candy to be had was on Easter. Jack had been pretty pissed and Sam had been forced to listen to the tirade the entire way. Jack had taken great offense at her blowing out her pumpkin's flame and he had been livid when she just let it drop back onto her doorstep and smash into a million bazillion pieces. In retaliation Jack had magic'd up some eggs and he and Samhain spent the next ten minutes pelting the bewildered woman.

"This has been the greatest night ever!" Sam exclaimed. His tattered cloak formed a great pair of wings and he leapt into the air. He did a few circles before landing and turning his cloak back to normal. Samhain beamed at Jack O'Lantern. Jack placed his arm around Sam's waist and pulled him close. Sam blushed at the intimate gesture but he didn't say anything. Truth be told he liked when Jack was like this. "Should we head home?"

Jack's green fingers tapped on Sam's hip. "Yeah, let's call it a night." He chuckled tiredly. They had come across a house that gave pennies out instead of candy. As Jack's magic couldn't turn non-food into his candy there was nothing they could; nothing that is but prank the living hell out of the offending house. The trick or treaters had been treated with the sight of the home's owners frantically run out of the door screaming about demons and monsters. They hadn't given it much thought as the house had started shuddering and a waterfall of candy poured out from the windows and doors onto the lawn. "We've done quite the night's work. Good job on the rabid hellhound illusion by the way."

Samhain blushed. "Well, it wasn't nearly as good as that octopus beast you made. I thought that lady was going to wet herself!"

Jack grinned. "I used to read a lot of Lovecraft. Did you hear how that man was just blubbering when he saw your headless ax-wielding demon?"

"Oh sweet Mary Marvel!" Sam mocked in a squeaky, teary voice. "Have mercy!"

"Janet!" Jack joined in. "Janet, call the police! Call the army! Call my mother!"

They both howled with laughter.

Sam smiled. It was a good thing that Pitch had been there. The fear spiked whenever the Boogeyman was near. The Halloween King had wanted to thank the other being but the second Jack saw Pitch he'd placed an arm around Sam's hip and led him away.

Once they were home, the duo collapsed onto a couch sighing tiredly in unison. "Best. Halloween. Ever!" Samhain chuckled.

Jack grinned up at the ceiling. "Well, it'll be hard to top that's for sure."

Sam turned over on his side and stared at Jack O'Lantern. "Hey," he began.

"Yeah?" Jack turned his head. "What's up?"

"Does your…can you feel things?"

Jack's brow creased. "Um yeah."

"No," Samhain shook his head. "I mean your head. Can it feel stuff?"

"Yes." The Pumpkin King answered. "It's just like skin."

"Oh."

Jack swallowed hard. "You…wanna touch it?"

Samhain nodded quickly. Scooting closer, he put a hand on Jack's cheek running his fingers over the cool shell. "You really feel that?" Sam asked in a hushed tone.

Jack's breathing quickened. "Yes."

Sam leaned forward and pressed his lips against the side of the Pumpkin King's gourd. He ran his tongue along a crease. Pleased with the reaction that got, Sam moved until he was right on top of Jack. He ran his hand over the front of Jack's shirt as he alternated between kissing and licking the pumpkin shell.

Jack O'Lantern was a complete mess. The Pumpkin whimpered and gasped as the Halloween King continued his assault. "By the Midnight Hour, Sam!" Jack shuddered and pulled the other spirit into his lap. He looked Samhain over with eyes burning with lust. His emerald green hands moved along the Halloween King's hips before sliding around him. The pumpkin-headed spirit palmed Sam's ass and grinned lazily. "You feel that?" he jerked his hips.

Sam's eyelids fluttered at the feeling of Jack's hardness pressing against him. "Yes," he replied shakily.

Jack grinned even more. "You want it?"

Sam chewed on his bottom lip. He nodded. The Halloween King suddenly smiled mischievously and wriggled in Jack O'Lantern's lap.

O'Lantern moaned loudly. "Alright," he pushed Sam off his lap. "If we're doing this then we need to do this in a bed."

They couldn't get upstairs fast enough.

Sam moaned, rocking his hips against Jack's. They were in O'Lantern's room with their clothes littering the floor. The Halloween King keened as the Pumpkin King explored his body. "Jack!" Sam moaned in complaint.

The pumpkin-headed spirit grinned. "I've wanted to do this for a while." He said. "At least allow me the courtesy of enjoying it to the full extent." Jack tweaked Sam's pale nipple. "You are so unbelievably sexy."

Samhain felt like screaming. "Do something!" he cried.

Jack sighed dramatically. He hopped off the bed and went over to his dresser. The Halloween King watched the other spirit's firm and shapely green rear as he rummaged through the drawers. Though he and Jack were of the same height, the Pumpkin had more muscle while Sam was all limbs. Suddenly quite self-conscious about his own skinny body, Sam shimmied under the covers.

Jack turned around and looked at the other spirit curiously. "What are you doing?"

Sam's face reddened. "Nothing," he said awkwardly. "Just waiting on you. Mind getting the light?"

"You want me to turn off the lights?"

"Yes."

Jack O'Lantern tilted his head finally understanding what this was about. "You don't have to be ashamed of your body."

Samhain folded his arms and scowled. "Easy for you to say."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Uh, it means I'm all bones and you look like you could be David Beckham's stunt double!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "I like your body." He grinned. "If I didn't, do you think we'd be getting this far?"

Samhain blushed again and wouldn't meet the Pumpkin King's eyes. Jack chuckled. He climbed back into bed and brushed his thumb over Sam's bottom lip. "I think that you are the most attractive spirit that I have ever seen."

"Yeah right."

"It's true." Jack O'Lantern argued. "I find you really hot."

Sam made a noise but didn't say anything else. Jack sighed again, this time it was genuine. "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you." The Pumpkin King said a little sadly. He ran his hands over Samhain's thighs. He removed his left hand and popped the top of a small bottle of lube and poured it into his hands.

The Halloween King inhaled sharply when he felt those cool, slick hands spread him. "H-how did you get lube?" he asked suspiciously.

Jack chuckled. "Maybe I bought it."

Samhain snorted. "Bullshit. Who would even be able to see you?"

"Ok so I borrowed it without asking."

"Borrowing implies that you're going to return it." Samhain wriggled suggestively. "I don't think they'll take it back."

Jack laughed. "I'll leave them some candy."

Sam raked his eyes over Jack's body, settling on the Pumpkin King's impressive member. "Maybe I want some candy." He whispered. "I could really use something I could suck on."

They stared at one another before bursting out with laughter. "Wow," Jack chortled. "I can't believe you said that!"

Sam grinned and shrugged. "All jokes aside," he said soberly. "I want you inside me, like, now."

Jack grabbed Sam's thighs and pulled him closer. "You should have just asked."

Samhain lay on the bed; eyes screwed shut, fists gripping the sheet tightly. Jack had his eyes trained on the other spirit's face as he worked his fingers in and out of Sam's opening. "J-Jack!" Sam whined.

"Almost done, baby." Jack whispered. He scissored his fingers. "You're just…" he exhaled shakily. "You're just so tight and I don't want to hurt you."

"I trust you."

That does nothing to calm Jack O'Lantern's nerves. He worked in silence, feeling drunk as he listened to the tiny whimpers and noises that Samhain made.

When he's sure that the Halloween King is truly ready, the Pumpkin King slicks the oil onto his cock and aligns himself at Sam's opening. Jack's eye flames almost went out at the intense feeling of sliding into Samhain. "Ah…oh shit…oh Sam." He gazed down at the other spirit. "You're so beautiful."

Sam stared up at him, face flushed. "You're just sayin' that."

"I mean it, Sam." Jack whispered. He really wished he could kiss the other spirit right now. He slipped in until he bottomed out in the Halloween King. _Holy Grim, Grinning Ghosts! This feels so good!_ Smoke puffed from his mouth. "Oh Sam. My Sam. My sweet Sammy."

Sam kept his eyes on Jack. The Pumpkin King worked him at a slow, steady pace that drove the Halloween mad. Jack's emerald chest glistened with sweat as he pumped in an out of Sam. The Pumpkin King filled and stretched him, made him feel whole.

_I'm so happy._ Sam realized. He moaned loudly when Jack brushed against his prostate. _I want to last forever. I want to be with him forever._ Samhain put his arms around Jack's back and held him close as they made love. This was perfect. He never wanted this to end.

_What have I done?_

Jack O'Lantern stared up at the ceiling. Samhain was sleeping peacefully next to him unaware of the panic that had Jack's insides in a Full Nelson.

This was bad. So very bad. If the Man in the Moon found out about this what would he do? Would he separate them? Send Sam to someone else? The thought of his Sam being with someone else made Jack physically ill.

He sat up and carefully moved off the bed. _I have to fix this._ He realized. He couldn't bear the thought of Samhain being shipped off somewhere. _I just have to find a way to make the Man in the Moon realize that this was just a onetime thing. It won't affect my judgment so there's no need for him to send Sam away. _

Jack turned slightly and looked back at the bed. Sam looked so serene and vulnerable in his sleep. Strands of black hair fell in his face and his arm was draped over the bed. Jack smiled sadly. This would probably be the last time he saw Samhain like this.

_No_, Jack O'Lantern shook himself. _This is for the best. I can't lose him. I just can't. He'll understand._

He slipped out of the door and stared at as Sam as he closed it.

_He'll understand…_

Samhain awoke alone. Not the best way to wake up, but he was still blissfully happy from last night's events. The Halloween Spirit whistled merrily as he showered. He hummed as he got dressed. It felt like a new beginning to the Halloween King.

He took the stairs two at time. "Jack?" Sam peeked around the corner. "Jack?"

The Pumpkin King wasn't in the library. He wasn't in the den.

Sam found him in the kitchen looking over some papers as he dined on scrambled eggs, fruit peels, and potato skins. Samhain grinned and pulled a chair up next to him. "Hi!" he said brightly.

Jack glanced up from his papers and offered him a nod. Sam's smile faltered a bit then fixed itself. "So, how'd you sleep?" he asked as a way of making conversation. "Gotta say that mattress is, like, the softest thing I've ever slept on. Of course, when I was living in the woods I mostly slept in the trees so really it's no contest—"

"Do you mind?" Jack O'Lantern snapped. "I'm trying to read!"

Sam blinked. He tried to mask his hurt. "What are you reading?"

Jack sighed loudly. "I'm going over my chocolate recipes." He stated. "That kid really bothered me. My chocolates are not second to Aster's!"

Sam slid out of his chair and walked over to Jack. He draped his arms around the Pumpkin King and kissed the back of his head. "Who cares what some kid thinks? They eat their own boogers."

He wasn't prepared for Jack's shove. It knocked him off balance and he barely caught himself. Samhain stared at the other spirit not even bothering to hide the hurt this time.

The Pumpkin King's eyes blazed. "Is this a joke to you?" he demanded. "Is it? I can't be second best and neither can my chocolates! Maybe it's not important to someone like _you_, but it is to me."

Sam scratched at his face. "I didn't mean anything by it. I just…"

"You know what?" Jack interrupted. He turned his back. "It would probably be better if you just went for a walk. I need to think about next Halloween."

Samhain tried to smile. "Hey, that's cool. When I get back we can go over some new pranks."

"No, Sam." Jack still kept his back turned. "I don't think I'll be doing anymore pranks with you."

Sam's brow started to bubble and peel. "What? But why?"

"Because I don't have time! My candy has obviously suffered because I put too much time into silly pranks. So," Jack picked up an apple core. "I'll stay in the factory and you can deliver the chocolates and treats."

Sam opened his mouth then closed it. Tears beaded in the corners in his eyes and it took every ounce of will not to let a sob escape. "T-That's," His skin was peeling and it itched horribly and he swallowed a lump in his throat. "Hey that's fine." He started backing toward the door. "No problem. Totally cool."

"Glad you think so." Jack settled back into his seat. "Now how about you go for a walk. You're distracting me from my work."

Samhain grabbed his face and pulled. Jack jumped at the noise and turned to see Sam pulling the flesh away. "What the hell are you doing?"

Sam's new face was more rounded and the pupils in his yellow eyes were now horizontal and slit-shaped like a goat. Sam held his old face in his trembling hands. "It's fine." He muttered. "Just happens when I'm upset."

"What's there to be upset about? You want this partnership to work? Then some sacrifices have to be made."

"But…what about last night?"

Jack O'Lantern made an impatient noise in the back of his throat. "What about last night?"

_No._ Sam turned and bolted from the room. He couldn't be there anymore. He transformed his cape into wings and took to the sky. As he flew, the same words played over and over again in his mind like cruel song:

_Fool. He never cared about you. You're such a fool._

As the wind stung his eyes, Samhain made a vow. He would make Jack hurt. He would make the Pumpkin King realize that it had been a mistake to cast him aside.


	13. Chapter 13

When Sam's wings could carry him no further, he landed on the snowy ground of the Alps. He reckoned that he was somewhere in Switzerland, but to honest he could have just as easily have been in Italy or Monaco. Samhain didn't care. He was far away from Jack and that was all that mattered. The Halloween King sat down in the snow and wrapped his wings around him, turning them back into his cloak. _Stupid Jack. _He sniffed. _Who needs him?_

The Halloween spirit was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the approaching footsteps crunching through the snow.

"What have we here?" a deep, gravelly voice asked. Sam looked up to see a large black-furred demon staring down at him with blood-red eyes filled with cold disdain.

Sam scrambled to his feet. He took off his hat. "I—hello," he stammered. "Lovely day isn't it?"

The demon looked around. "I suppose." He grumbled. "I don't take well to trespassers encroaching on my territory."

"T-territory?"

"The Alps, boy." The demon bared sharp over-lapping teeth in a sneer. "The entire mountain range is mine. So why are you here?"

The Halloween King bowed his head. "I meant no respect." He said respectfully. "I was just travelling and I needed a rest. I had no idea that you dwelled here. Mister…"

"I am the Krampus."

Samhain suppressed the urge to step back. He'd heard of the Krampus. A nasty demon that once punished naughty children and dragged them straight to Hell until North gave him the pink slip. "It's an honor to meet you…sir." Sam bowed again for good measure.

The Krampus's lip curled with a sneer. "Spare me." He growled. The hellbeast turned his back and started walking away. He stopped and looked back at the spirit. "Well?" he growled. "Are you coming or not?"

Samhain ran to follow the Krampus. "I'm sorry." He said hastily. "I wasn't aware that you had offered me an invitation."

"I don't usually." The demon conceded. "But I'm bored and I'm sure your tale of misery will provide me with some amusement."

Sam swallowed. He glanced behind him and wondered if it was still too late to make an escape.

"Stay close." The Krampus ordered. "I have my cave tunnels enchanted to be an endless maze. If you get lost then that's the end of you." He chuckled like that was the funniest thing in the world.

"Whatever you say." Sam shivered.

"…so Jack acts like nothing happened!" Samhain finished. He pulled his hat down tightly.

The Krampus fought the urge to roll his eyes. Even though the Halloween Spirit had told him what had upset him enough to risk a demon's wrath, the Krampus knew a heavily edited story when he heard one. _I will never get this time back._ The demon frowned. "So what are you going to do about it?"

Sam blinked at him and the Krampus itched to smack that dull look off his face. "Do?"

The demon smiled and the sight of it made the Halloween King shudder. "Well it's obvious that Jack O'Lantern doesn't appreciate you. Maybe you should find someone who does. I mean you helped him create the best Halloween ever and how does he repay you? By ignoring you! Didn't even thank you!"

A blush crept over Samhain's face as he remembered just how Jack had "thanked him" that night. He hadn't told the Krampus about that, of course. "You're right! He's supposed to be my…friend."

The Krampus put on what he hoped was a sympathetic face. "Maybe you should look for new…_friends_." The demon made sure to put an emphasis on the word to let the spirit know that he knew exactly what this was about.

Sam was thinking so intently that it went over his head. "You're right!" the Halloween King jumped up. "I can totally do this!"

The hellbeast leaned back into his seat. "You should get someone he despises. That way it'll work even faster. Nothing heals a friendship like jealousy."

"You're a genius!" Sam gushed.

The demon simply smiled.

"Right! I gotta get out of here! I know just the person." Sam started for the door and then stopped.

Krampus rapped his knuckles against the wall beside him. It slid away and revealed an opening. "This will take you back outside." He told the spirit. "Farewell, Samhain."

Sam bowed quickly and ran out. The demon sighed. _Stupid spirits and their infantile endeavors and concerns_, he mused as he stood. _All that power and they worry about things as useless as love!_ Krampus snorted. It was a little fun to send the annoying little flea in the wrong direction. Whatever had really happened between Samhain and Jack O'Lantern, his advice was sure to make it worse.

And that was enough to alleviate some of the Krampus's boredom.

At least for now…

Pitch Black watched a young couple from the shadows. They were too old to see him and even if they weren't, they seemed too engrossed in their liplock to notice anything at all. Still, the Boogeyman approached their bench and leaned down until he was near their ears. "The park is dangerous at night," Pitch whispered, his influence washed over them in a cold wave. "A rapist could come at any time and have his way with you." The Nightmare King smirked. "And then have his way with _you_, pretty boy."

The couple bolted up and gathered up their jackets. "Let me get you home." The man stammered.

"Y-yeah sure." The woman tucked an auburn lock behind her ear. Pitch was delighted to see them looking at every shadow and jumping at every rustled leaf.

"Not bad for a night's work." He smiled. _Still, it would have been better if they were younger and able to see me._ Pitch's face fell. _Not like the young ones can even see me, but one day. One day, they will believe in the Boogeyman again._

"Hey-oh!" a figure dropped out of the trees and landed beside him.

Pitch jumped back, startled. His eyes narrowed. "Oh," he sniffed. It's you."

Samhain doffed his hat. "Beautiful night," he commented. "Fancy a walk?"

Pitch rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't you be with your comrade Jack O'Lantern?"

Sam draped an arm around Pitch's thin shoulders. "Jack's not the boss of me. Besides, I prefer your company much more than I do his."

Pitch wasn't sure what to make of this so he silently walked alongside the Halloween spirit. He had to admit that it was sort of nice having a companion after so many centuries upon centuries of loneliness.

"So, I saw what you did with those two lovebirds." Samhain said. "Great job."

The Boogeyman's face lit up at the praise. "You think so?"

The Halloween King nodded. "Sure do." He gave Pitch a rakish smile. "And I appreciate what you did for us on Halloween."

Pitch stared at him. With a sigh, he pulled away from Sam. "Enough," he muttered. His golden eyes narrowed at the other spirit. "I've had enough. You can come out now!" Pitch yelled at the bushes and trees. "Very funny! Ha ha!"

Sam looked about him, confused. "Is something wrong?"

"You can't honestly expect me to believe you're actually happy about my presence on your holiday." Pitch snarled. He looked back at the bushes. "Are there some other spirits out there, listening to us, and laughing at my stupidity?"

"Pitch, no one's out there."

"Don't lie to me!"

"I'm not!" Samhain insisted. He took Pitch by the hand. "Look, I get it. You obviously have trust issues so I'm going to give you some space." Sam lifted Pitch's hand and brushed his lips across the Boogeyman's knuckles. "But I'll be back here tomorrow night and I would really like it if you were here as well." With another smile, the Halloween King stepped back and turned to exit the park. "I hope to see you again, Pitch Black." Samhain called over his shoulder.

Pitch was left alone in the park. His eyes dropped to the hand that the Halloween spirit had held and kissed. What does this mean? An unknown feeling welled up in his chest as he stared. Did Samhain, the Halloween King actually have a genuine interest in him? Did he dare to hope? Pitch walked backward into the shadows. With a smile on his lips, the Boogeyman let the darkness surround him and take him home. _I'm not going to be alone anymore…_

"Where have you been?" was Jack O'Lantern's greeting as soon Samhain walked into the factory.

The Halloween King shrugged. "Out." He said. Sam flopped down on the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table. "You did tell me to go take a walk."

Jack frowned. "You've been gone for almost the entire day!"

"You act like I missed something important!"

The Pumpkin King looked like he was wanted to say something else, but he let it drop. "Whatever," he muttered. "Look, I'm going to bed. You can do whatever…"

Sam glared at Jack's back. He sunk down further into his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. _I've been gone the whole day and he just lets it drop? It's like he doesn't even care!_

Sam turned over on his side. _Maybe I should hold off on telling him about Pitch. I can make him care about me. I know I can!_ With a smile, he hopped off the couch and headed to his room.

Upstairs, the Halloween King set to work. Conjuring up a mound of clay, he stared at it wondering what he should do. And then it came to him. Sam got to work, shaping and molding a lump into the shape of a mini pumpkin. He blew some of his magic into the toy. As a finishing touch, he gave it a jack o'lantern grin. Samhain stared lovingly at his creation. "Perfect." He murmured. He brushed his thumb over it. _Trick or Treat_ blinked over it in red lights and the little toy giggled madly.

Sam grinned and threw into a corner. _Trick_ settled on the pumpkin and it exploded, spraying a mountain of Silly String all over the wall. "I'm a genius!" Sam crowed.

Samhain grinned as he headed for the kitchen where Jack was already having his breakfast. He had been awake until the wee hours of dawn (at one point he had to shoo off the Sandman who had come to investigate) as he finished his creations. He couldn't wait to show Jack.

The pumpkin-headed spirit was at the bar, munching on toast and reading _Christine_ by Stephen King.

"Jack!" Sam ran up to him. "I need to show you something. He held out two of his pumpkin bombs. "I made this." He grinned proudly. "I've made even more." Samhain ran a hand through his hair as he babbled excitedly. "I stayed up all night too. Do you like it? Wait, before you answer watch this!" Sam touched one of the pumpkins and showed Jack O'Lantern what it could do. When it exploded it erupted with thousands of little black spider that then exploded into tiny sparkles.

Samhain beamed and waited for Jack's response.

Jack O'Lantern sighed tiredly and put down his book. "Sam," he said in a voice filled with a weary tone. "Is that what you were doing last night? Wasting energy on that silly toy?"

Sam's face fell and he clutched the remaining pumpkin bomb protectively against his chest. "It's not silly." He returned quietly. Sam thought Jack would like them. He thought the Pumpkin King would understand why Samhain thought they were so special. The pumpkin bombs were equal parts of the Halloween spirits: Jack's likeness and Sam's mischief and magic.

The Pumpkin King rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you wasted time on something so, so…_childish_! You know we have to make treats and you're missing valuable rest making those stupid trinkets—"

The Halloween King winced as Jack O'Lantern continued his tirade. Each word was akin to a knife in his heart.

_I can't breathe._ Sam closed his eyes. _I can't breathe._

"If you really want to keep those things then be my guest." Jack turned back to his book. He fingered the spine. "But they better not affect your work. We've got a lot candy to make. I can't stand the idea of Bunnymund's chocolates being better than mine."

Sam dipped his head, using his hair as a shield. He could feel his face peeling, but he didn't want Jack to know. "Okay." he said. "Okay." the Halloween Spirit stared at his feet. "I'm going out tonight."

"Again?" Jack said incredously. "What for?"

Samhain licked his lips. "I'm…going to go see Pitch."

That got a reaction from the pumpkin-headed spirit. "Pitch? As in Pitch Black?" Jack demanded.

"You know another Pitch?"

"Dracula's ghost," Jack rubbed his temple. "Why on Earth would you be going to see him?"

Suddenly emboldened, Sam stood straight. "We're dating." He announced with a smirk. "I'm taking him as my lover."

Jack O'Lantern stared at him. After two minutes he sighed again and turned back to his breakfast and novel. "Oh. Well, to each his own, I suppose."

Samhain's throat tightened. It wasn't working. None of this was working. "I think I'll go see if Pitch is up." He turned abruptly and all but ran from the kitchen.

Jack didn't move until he heard the front door slam. The Halloween Spirit slumped forward, place a hand over his eyes. This was wrong. This was so wrong. The hurt on Sam's face had made the Pumpkin King physically ill. It was no use. Even though Jack wanted to comfort the other spirit, to tell him that the words he spoke were bald-faced lies, he knew that he couldn't.

_This is for our own good._ Jack O'Lantern rationalized. His sweet Sam may hate him, but now the Man in the Moon had no reason to remove him. Of course, it never occurred to him that Samhain would simply go out and take another lover. And it would have never crossed Jack's mind that that lover would be Pitch Black.

_Fuck._ Jack O'Lantern pushed the uneaten remains of his breakfast away. _Double fuck. That freak better not put a hand on my Sam or I'll…_

Jack blinked. What could he even do? Samhain wasn't his lover. Wasn't that the entire point? Did he really expect the Halloween King to live a life of celibacy? And even if he did was that fair? _Of all the spirits_, the Pumpkin King silently lamented. _Why Pitch Black?_

Samhain found the Boogeyman's lair under an old, abandoned bedframe. With an amused snort, he descended down the hole. Pitch was probably asleep this time of the day, but there was no way that Sam could go back to the factory.

As expected, Pitch's lair was totally creepy. There was only enough light being filtered in from above to keep Sam from bumping into a wall, but besides that there was nothing. What got to the Halloween King the most was the silence. It was like all sounds ceased to exist in Pitch's little hole. Samhain shuddered. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea._ He steeled himself and kept moving.

The Boogeyman's lair was vast. A series of tunnels and multiple chambers, Sam could have gotten lost. Tiring of looking for Pitch, the Halloween King decided to bring the King of Fear to him. Looking up, Sam spotted some iron cages. With a smirk he jumped up and grabbed the bottom of one and swung. It crashed into another cage and a thunderous clang bounced off the walls. Samhain waited for a moment and when there was still no Pitch he repeated the action.

It was around the third time that a frazzled looking Pitch Black came stomping into the chamber. The Nightmare King had obviously been in bed and upon seeing Sam, Pitch smoothed down his mussed hair and wiped at his eyes. "Samhain," Pitch said coolly. "I wasn't expecting you."

Sam gave him a cheeky grin. "That much is obvious." He gave Pitch a slow once over and chuckled at the sight of Pitch's bare feet peeking from underneath his black robe. "Gotta say, I like this side of you. Looking all mussed and unkempt." The Halloween King gave the Boogeyman a dazzling smile. "It's kinda sexy."

Pitch Black blushed to the tips of his ears. He cleared his throat not once but twice. "Please," he gestured for Samhain to follow him. "Let's continue this in my parlor."

Samhain followed the Fear King, eying his surroundings as they traveled. He stopped in front of a large ornate door and tested the knob. It was locked. Placing his ear against the door, Sam thought he heard the faint sound of horses nickering and snorting. He jumped when he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder.

Pitch's golden eyes narrowed. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

Sam shrugged. "I thought I heard something." He gave the door a sidelong glance. "What's in there? Why's it locked?"

Pitch offered him a smile and an indifferent shrug. "Just a little…project I've been working on for a few decades. I've almost perfected it. Anyway," He pulled at Sam's arm. "It's not important. Please, follow me."

Pitch's guest parlor was very Spartan. There were two chairs on one side of a small black wooden coffee table and another chair on the other side. The chairs were squat and not very comfortable looking. Oddly enough, they looked both worn and unused at the same time and Samhain noticed a layer of dust over the furniture.

No one had been in this room for a very long time.

Samhain plopped down on a seat and kicked his legs up. Across from him, Pitch lowered himself into a seat of his own and sat with his clasped hands on his lap. The Boogeyman's back was ramrod straight and he stared at Sam. Sam fought the urge to roll his eyes. "You got any snacks?" the Halloween King arched a brow.

Pitch's eyes widened and he looked at the empty table in amazement. "My apologies," he bolted from his seat. "I'll be back in a moment."

Sam settled back into the uncomfortable little chair and started thinking. Revealing his relationship with Pitch hadn't gotten the response from Jack O'Lantern like he thought it would. What advice would the Krampus give if he were here?

_"You need to step your game up."_

Yeah. That sounded about right. _Jack probably thinks I'm not serious with Pitch so he doesn't feel threatened._ _Well,_ Sam smiled. _I'll just have to fix that. _

Pitch came back carrying a dented silver tray. He placed it on the table and smiled. "I apologize for my poor hosting skills." The Boogeyman placed a teacup on a saucer in front of the other spirit. He placed a platter of sliced dark bread and butter in the center next to an assortment of dried fruit. "It's just been a while since I received any company." Pitch settled back into his seat and watched the Halloween Spirit eagerly.

Samhain frowned. "Aren't you going to have any?"

"Oh, I only have the one—" Pitch stopped. His face flushed. "I mean," he said quickly. "I'm not hungry."

Wow.

The Halloween King helped himself to some fruit and bread. He watched Pitch carefully. He noticed how the Boogeyman seemed to be leaning in his seat, worriedly waiting for some sort of response. Samhain lowered his eyes to the fare. The bread was dry and practically tasteless; the butter did nothing to help. The tea could have been a saving point, but the Boogeyman had over-steeped it. The fruit had to be used to rid the taste from his mouth.

Sam swallowed and wiped his mouth. "Delicious." He smiled.

Gods, it was pathetic how the fear-monger's entire face lit up at that one little compliment. How happy he looked to finally have someone to share his pathetic little meal with.

_Like looking in a mirror… _A voice cruelly whispered in his ear.

Sam frowned. He was nothing like Pitch. _He_ was in control here. _He_ had the power. Pitch was just a tool to be used and discarded at Sam's leisure.

Nothing more and nothing less.

"So, Pitch." Samhain said. "How about we get out of here? I'm sure there's something we can do for fun."

"Oh?" Pitch arched a hairless brow. "And would Jack O'Lantern approve of this?"

"Jack O'Lantern isn't the boss of me." Sam scowled. He walked over to Pitch and kneeled down. He took Pitch's hand in his own. "Besides, I think that you and I could really be quite the team." Sam gave the Boogeyman a rakish grin and lowered his head so his hair fell into his eyes. "And quite the couple if it came down to it."

Pitch jerked his hand away. "I—you're very forward." The Boogeyman muttered. He stared at his hand. "Very well." He said finally. Pitch smiled at Samhain. "What the hell? It could be fun."

"That's the spirit!" Sam crowed. "You go and get ready and I'll take you out for a night you'll never forget!"

Sam and Pitch spied on three boys up in a tree house watching _Nightmare on Elm Street_ on one of those portable DVD players. They snickered at how their little eyes were wide with terror as they watched Freddy Krueger mutilate his victims. Sam wondered if their parents knew what the brats were watching or where they got the movie. "Let's have some fun." Sam grinned.

Pitch nodded and slinked into the space with the kids. Using his magic, Samhain caused the tree house to groan and creak. He tapped on the wall in one spot and when someone looked in that direction, he moved and tapped somewhere else.

Pitch leaned over the children, his presence causing their tension to spike. "He's here." The Boogeyman whispered in their ears. "He's going to get you. He'll slice you open and use your innards as streamers!'

Tears started pouring down the boys faces at each sound they heard. Wind picked up and Sam could detect the odor of urine. He cackled aloud. This was too good! For the grand finale, the Halloween King flew into and air and landed on the roof of the tree house with a BANG!

That did it.

The little boys hastily climbed down their rope ladder and ran screaming for the house.

Sam and Pitch sat down on a tree branch and laughed themselves sick. "Did you see their faces?" Sam chortled. "Man! That was awesome!"

Pitch smiled. "I have to admit that was more fun than I thought it would be."

Samhain gave him a playful shove. "I told you! Nothing goes better with Halloween than fear!" he draped his arm around Pitch's shoulders. "Pitchy-baby, you and me are going to rule!"

The Nightmare King looked at him fondly. He slid closer to Samhain. "I'd like that." He said softly.

Sam bit the inside of cheek. It was almost too easy. He turned to Pitch and studied him. The Boogeyman stared back. "Something wrong?"

Sam leaned in and kissed him.

He felt Pitch tense for a split second before the Nightmare King let himself relax.

The kiss was okay. It could have been worse.

They pulled apart. Pitch's eyes glittered. Sam forced himself to smile. "That was great." He told the Boogeyman. Sam stroked the back of his hand down Pitch's face.

The Nightmare King leaned into the touch. He couldn't remember the last time anyone had touched him like this. It was nice. "Would…you like to come back to my place?"

Samhain's smile was genuine. All the pieces were falling into place. "I don't want to be a bother."

As predicted, Pitch practically begged him to come back. It was sad how starved for companionship the other spirit was, but as long as he served his purpose Sam didn't care. They took Pitch's shadows back to his lair, an experience that the Halloween King found quite jarring. Sam's heart threatened to pound out of his chest as Pitch led them to his bedroom. _This is it._ He told himself. _I can do this. I can totally do this._

Like the rest of his lair, Pitch's bedroom was pretty bare. There was a large bed with a threadbare black quilt, a wardrobe, and that was it. _Jeez_, Samhain looked around. He smiled. "Nice room." He told Pitch. "It's…um…very clean."

Pitch gracefully sat down on his bed. He gave the spot next to him a pat. Sam took a deep breath and took a seat next to the Boogeyman. "So," Sam offered Pitch a smile. "Nice bed. Not too soft and not too firm." He bounced once. "Probably good for your back."

Pitch placed a finger on Sam's lips. "Come now," he purred. "Are we really here to discuss my bed?"

Sam could feel himself sweating. He really didn't want to sleep with Pitch, but he had to or else Jack was never going to believe that they were together. Sam gulped and placed his hand on Pitch's thigh. "Of course not, Pitchy." Sam licked his lips. No turning back…

Pitch stared at his cavern's ceiling. Beside him, Sam was lying completely motionless. The Boogeyman cleared his throat. "That was—ˮ _Dismal. Disappointing. A waste of time. Dreadful. _"—Something…"

Samhain slid out bed and started getting dressed. "Glad I was up to snuff." His tone was cold and detached.

Pitch turned over onto his side and watched the other spirit. "Have I done something to upset you?" he asked nervously. Pitch licked his lips. "If I have please tell me and I'll try to fix it."

Sam's shoulders sagged. Pitch sounded so desperate for him to stay. So eager to have someone here with him. It made Sam's heart ache. It made him angry. The Boogeyman reminded the Halloween King too much of himself and Samhain didn't like it.

"You're not getting clingy after one fuck are you?" Sam sneered as he pulled up his trousers. "That's kind of pathetic don't you think?"

Pitch sat up. He was almost as thin as Sam. "I-I meant no offense." The Boogeyman held out his hand. "Please. Come back to bed."

"Right," Sam snorted. "As if I don't have better things to do than stay here with you."

Pitch let his hand drop. "I'm sure you do." The Boogeyman said quietly. "Will I see you again?"

Sam donned his hat. "If I feel like it." He said callously. Samhain walked out not even sparing Pitch a glance.

Jack was waiting for him when he got home. "You have any idea what time it is?" the Pumpkin King growled.

Sam ignored him and headed for the kitchen. Jack followed him, barking at him the entire time.

"You are the most irresponsible, irritating—" Jack's eyes fell to Sam's neck. "The hell is that?" he demanded.

"Ham on wheat." Sam smiled, knowing full well that the other spirit meant the mark on his neck. He had been super annoyed when the Boogeyman had bit him, but now Sam was seeing the benefit of the mark.

Jack O'Lantern's eye flames flared. "What have you been doing?"

"Well, Mr. Nosy if you must know I've been doing Pitch Black."

The Pumpkin King took a step forward. "What?" he demanded.

Sam grinned. He could tell this was starting to get under Jack's skin. "Pitch and I fucked last night."

Jack stared at him. "What?"

Samhain sighed. "You're boring me." He told the Pumpkin King. "I'm bored." Sidestepping Jack, Sam headed for the stairs. "I'll be in my room, eating my sandwich. Getting back all those electrolytes I lost schtupping the Boogeyman."

When Sam came back downstairs, he couldn't find Jack. A smile played on his lips. _I must have really upset him._ The Halloween King thought gleefully. _Nice!_ The plan was going along swimmingly.

Samhain danced into the kitchen and tossed his plate into the sink.

"I hope you plan on washing that."

Sam screamed and whirled around. Jack was coming upstairs from the downstairs stockroom. "What the hell, man?!"

"Sorry." Jack walked past him. "I've got to show you something." He urged Sam to follow him. They walked to the back of the factory where Jack O'Lantern made the chocolate and treats. The Pumpkin King stopped in front of a bubbling vat of chocolate. With a smile, he emptied an entire bottle of vanilla into the mixture. "I've finally done it!"

Sam fought to keep his disappointment off his face. "Done what?" he asked

"I think I may have made the perfect batch of chocolate." Jack grinned excitedly. "Isn't that great?"

Samhain could care less about the stupid chocolate. Why wasn't Jack still upset about him sleeping with Pitch? "Hey," Sam swallowed a lump in his throat. "That's great! Good for you! Super!" he turned for the door. "I'm going for a walk."

"Okay," Jack O'Lantern said in a distracted manner. "What time will you be back?"

"Probably sometime in the morning." Sam answered. "I was planning on sleeping at Pitch's tonight."

Jack paused with his stirring. Before Sam could get his hopes up, the Pumpkin King had reached for another bottle of vanilla extract. "Well, have fun."

Sam bristled. "Fine! He practically snapped.

Jack O'Lantern kept stirring even when he heard the front door shut. He kept stirring long after he was sure Samhain had left the grounds. Hours crept by and the Halloween spirit kept stirring because he was lost in thought.

Sam and Pitch.

When Jack had first heard about Samhain courting Pitch he had chalked it up as some disturbing infatuation. The Pumpkin King had assumed that if he let the "relationship" run its course then Sam would get tired of it or at least see what a manipulative prick Pitch really was. Sadly, that didn't appear to be the case…

Pitch was sleeping with his sweet Sam.

Sam and motherfucking Pitch Black.

He had marked Sam's neck. Jack's jaw clenched, remember the mark standing out against Samhain's perfect, pale flesh. He felt bile rising in his throat. How dare Pitch do that? How dare he put one finger on Sam?!

Sam was probably already back at whatever dank hole the Boogeyman called home. Probably already in the Fear King's bony embrace. Being led to the bedroom where they would climb into bed and Pitch would start kissing him, rubbing his hands along Sam's body—

Did the Boogeyman already know about the spot behind Sam's left ear? The spot that when touch caused those beautiful eyes to glaze over and those soft lips to part—

With a roar, Jack shoved the vat over. The Pumpkin King stomped and raged, thinking about his Sam with that rotten Pitch Black.

_My Sam! My Sam! Mine! Mine!_ He breathed a stream of fire and threw a table against the wall. He would find the Boogeyman and break his limbs! Bury the wretch so far in the earth that no one would ever find him again!

Slowly, his anger died to a simmer and Jack O'Lantern returned to his normal size. He eyed the mess he'd made during his tantrum. The sticky brown mess of chocolate flooded over the floor. With a sigh, Jack went to grab a mop. He could have just used his magic to clean up after himself, but he figured that he needed to be punished for his waste.

"I hadn't expected you back so soon." Pitch greeted him. He smiled at Samhain, but didn't receive one in return. Instead the Halloween King brushed past the Boogeyman. Pitch didn't mind. After all, Samhain had come back to him even though he had left in anger before.

"I was in the neighborhood." Sam said drily. He gave Pitch a look. "What's wrong? You have something better to do?"

The Boogeyman winced at the Halloween King's tone. "No. I didn't mean… I was just surprised."

Sam snorted. He was a little pissed that Jack had just completely dismissed him liked that. Maybe if he showed up with even more marks, the Pumpkin King would take him seriously. "Get undressed."

Pitch Black took a step back. "W-what?"

Samhain sneered. "Did I stutter? I wanna fuck. Why else would I bother coming here? To spend time with you?" he laughed derisively. "Of course if you don't want to, I can just leave…"

Slowly, Pitch started to shed his robe. He shivered as he stood naked before the Halloween King, who wasn't even looking at him. "Shouldn't we take this to the bedroom?"

"No need." Sam examined his nails. "Just bend over that chair."

Pitch's jaw dropped. His eyes narrowed and his teeth ground together in rage. He refused to be treated like some whore!

As if sensing his mood, Sam looked over at him. "Problem?" he arched a brow. "Because I will leave if there is. I mean I'm sure you have thousands of people lining up to be your friend and lover, right?" Samhain stalked over to Pitch. He put his face inches away from the Boogeyman's and smiled coldly. "You're going to do what I say and you know why? Because you know that if you don't then you'll go back to being alone and you just don't want that. Do you, Pitchy-witchy? Do you want to be alone again?"

Pitch lowered his eyes. He shook his head once.

Samhain sneered. He grabbed Pitch's chin and jerked his face up. "I can't hear you."

"N-no."

Sam smiled. "Good man. Now lean over the chair."

Pitch did as he told. And as Sam held him there and fucked him, he told himself that it was worth it.

And as soon as it was over Sam started to redress. Once again the Halloween had taken his pleasure, not even noticing or caring that the Boogeyman had stayed flaccid the entire time. As Pitch reached down to grab his robe and trousers off the floor he told himself that this was all worth it. _I can't go back to being alone. He cares for me. I know he does. This is worth it. I finally have someone._

And eventually he started to believe the lie.

Sam got home to find Jack sitting and reading. He arched a brow. "Finished with your perfect batch of chocolate already?"

Jack O'Lantern peered over his book, took in Sam's disheveled appearance, and then returned to his reading. "I had to dump it," he muttered. "A fly landed in it."

Samhain felt a twinge of satisfaction at that. "Too bad." He said. He plopped down on a chair and it rose to join Jack's in the air. "I'm beat."

"Is that so?"

The Halloween King hummed happily. "Yep. Pitch just completely drained me. I mean it. Dude, milked me dry."

Sam didn't see Jack's fingers tighten on his book. "Really," Jack kept his voice neutral. "Imagine that."

Samhain frowned. _Time to up the ante._ "Yeah. I'm really starting to fall for him."

Jack didn't say anything, but on the inside he was raging. Burying Pitch was starting to sound like a really good idea. "Mm-hmm."

Sam bit his bottom lip. "Thinking about taking him along with me on Halloween."

"Do whatever you want."

"I will."

"Good."

"Great!" Samhain snapped. He drummed his fingers. He looked over at Jack. "What are you reading?"

The Pumpkin King turned a page. "Chicken Soup for the Soul."

"Really?"

"Fuck no. I'm reading _Johnny Gruesome_."

"Oh." Sam looked over at the clock. "Is it interesting?"

"It's fine." Truth be told, Jack had stopped reading the second Sam walked in. He was working to keep his anger in check and the Boogeyman's blood off his hands.

Sam sighed loudly. He turned his body, throwing his legs over the arm of the chair and folded his arms behind his head.

"Sam?"

The Halloween King sighed. "What?"

"Are you happy? With Pitch I mean?"

And there it was. Sam sat up, alert. If he played his cards right then he and Jack could be together forever. "I am." He said. "Why shouldn't I be? We have each other. He's infatuated with me and I'm," Samhain paused. "Fond of him."

Jack closed his book. He stared at his companion. "There's…" the Pumpkin King lowered his eyes for a moment. "There's no one else you'd rather be with?"

_Yes! Okay, just play it cool Samhain._ "I don't know." Sam gave a one shouldered shrug. "There used to be someone, but that ship has apparently sailed."

Jack sat there silently and Sam began to panic. Had he been too obvious with that last comment? "Well," the Pumpkin King slid of his seat. "You have my blessing."

_What?_ "What?" Sam squawked.

Jack O'Lantern nodded. He turned to the bookcase and let the book fly back to its designated spot. "As long as your relationship with Pitch doesn't get in the way of our Halloween preparations then you have my blessing."

No! That's not what he wanted at all! _Goddamnit!_ Sam felt like pulling out his hair. His blessing? His fucking blessing? What was this? A fucking Jane Austen novel?! "That's great!" Samhain bit out. He gave the back of Jack's head a watery smile. Oh shit. He was crying. There was no way he'd let Jack see that. He rapped his knuckles against the arm of his chair and slid out. "I gotta go do stuff." He ran from the factory.

When he was satisfied that he was far enough from the factory and Jack O'Lantern, Sam sat down next to a tree, cradled his head in his hands, and wept.

Pitch told himself that he'd set some ground rules the next time Samhain showed up. The Halloween King needed to know that certain things weren't okay.

**_Rule Number One: Respect is not optional. _**

Every time the Boogeyman lamented his lack of believers or voiced his desire to have a family, the Halloween King would roll his eyes and say something along the lines of "I hear enough whining from kids." Or "Gods! Are still on that? For fuck's sake can't you talk about something else?"

**_Rule Number Two: Sex should be enjoyed by both participants._**

Pitch was getting tired of being shoved down onto the bed and having Sam plow in and out of him. It was humiliating and more often than not, painful. The worst part was that Samhain left immediately after he climaxed, like he just couldn't get far enough from the Boogeyman. _It's like he thinks I'm dirty. _And it wasn't just the whole leaving thing that bothered Pitch it was also the fact that Sam would disappear. The Nightmare King had been terribly despondent when he hadn't seen the Halloween spirit for over a year. His cavern had seemed even more lonely and empty.

**_Rule Number Thr_**—Pitch looked up as Samhain came walking in. The Halloween King looked even paler than usual and there were dark bags under his eyes. "Sam," Pitch stood and smoothed down the front of his robe. "So good to see you."

Sam gave him a non-committal grunt. Then in a flash the Halloween spirit had crossed the space and wrapped his arms around Pitch in a hug. "You got anything to eat?"

"Um," Pitch faltered. "Yes, one moment." Perhaps he was going about this the wrong way. The Halloween King wasn't really all that bad. _I should be more patient. No, wait!_ A brilliant idea came to him as he buttered two thick slices of dark rye bread. The mercurial temperament of the Halloween King could possibly be controlled. There had to be a way. _I won't be alone. I refuse to be alone._ Pitch closed his eyes. He thought long and hard. Pitch thought about the things that seemed to annoy the Halloween King the most. If he could change those things about himself then maybe…maybe…

_He'll stay…_

Samhain leaned back. He was tired. So very tired. Even Pitch's hard ass chairs were comfortable. He'd been to see Krampus after that horrible talk with Jack O'Lantern. The demon hadn't cared, but he listened and that was all Sam could ask for. Krampus had listened and offered these words:

"So what?"

So what? He hadn't expected that and Sam was hurt.

The Krampus seemed to sense that and the hellbeast rolled his red eyes. "You whine because you think you've lost the battle, but have you lost the war? Will you sit back and wring your hands wondering about what you should have done differently? Bah! Maybe you have." Krampus shrugged. "It's obvious Pitch hasn't done what you needed him to do, so cut him loose." The demon bared his sharp teeth. "You don't need him."

"But I thought you said…"

Krampus waved a hand. "I told you that because I thought the Boogeyman could help you, but seeing as he hasn't gotten you what you want…" the demon trailed off.

Samhain scowled at the memory. Krampus was right. Pitch was useless. He was beyond useless. Couldn't even inspire jealously in another person. _I just have to end it. Start back at Step One. _There had to be another spirit that got under Jack's skin.

Pitch Black came in carrying a platter with two slices of bread. The Boogeyman set down in front of the Halloween King. He was smiling from ear to ear.

Sam gave him a half-hearted glare. "What are you so happy about?"

"I think we need to talk."

Well, wasn't this just bloody tragic? _Pitch_ was about to dump _him_. "Well?"

Pitch Black sat across for him. "I've given it quite a bit of thought. Samhain, I love you."

_Oh gods no…_

Pitch continued. "I know that I'm not perfect, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes." The Boogeyman reached out and took Sam's hand. "We can be together. If you're here with me then I don't even care if another child ever remembers or know who I am. You're all I need. I love you so much, Samhain. Please, Sam." Pitch gave his hand a squeeze. "Please say something."

Sam couldn't breathe. This was wrong. This was all wrong. Pitch wasn't the one he wanted! Why couldn't it be Jack O'Lantern saying this? Why couldn't it be Jack who loved him?

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair!

Sam could feel the anger and pain threatening to eat him from the inside out. He did the only thing he could:

He lashed out at Pitch.

"You are so fucking pathetic!" Samhain slapped Pitch's hand away. "You think I want you?" he laughed cruelly. "You think _anyone_ would want you? I got news for you, Pitchy. I don't love you. I've never loved you. You're _nothing_ to me!"

As Sam spat the hateful words at Pitch, some part of him realized that it was like belittling his reflection. He saw the hopelessness on the Boogeyman's face. The utter devastation of living a lonely existence. He remembered looking in a mirror and seeing the same look on his own face. It made Sam strive to hurt Pitch even more.

_Hurt him. Make him cry…_

_Better him than me…_

"You think you're so fucking special?" Sam ranted. He kicked his chair back. Crossing the space, he grabbed Pitch and shook him violently. "You're not! Where do you think I go when I leave here? I have lovers all over the place! I got kitsunes in Japan. Nymphs in Greece. The fucking April Fool!" he started listing off names, enjoying the look of betrayal in the Boogeyman's eyes. "So I don't need you. I don't want you." The Halloween King shoved Pitch away. "We're done. I've outgrown you."

Sam left Pitch's lair as fast he could. He flew in the direction of the factory but stopped. He wasn't ready to go back yet. Not yet.

Pitch sat curled on the floor, staring out at nothing.

Samhain was gone. He was gone and this time he wouldn't be back.

The Boogeyman closed his eyes. Slowly, he got to his feet.

Feeling numb, Pitch walked through his halls until he stood before the locked door that Sam had noticed on his first visit. Fashioning a key from his shadows, the Boogeyman unlocked it and stepped inside.

His creations were getting stronger every day. A smile came to Pitch Black's lips as he watched Nightmares he created from the Sandman's corrupted dreams cavort.

He held out his hand and one by one they walked forward and allowed their master to pet them. Pitch ran his fingers through the grainy manes deep in thought.

Samhain's confession was a godsend. The Boogeyman had been _this_ close to dismantling his plans. Now that it was obvious that Sam never wanted to be with him he didn't have to. It was time for him to move forward in plans.

Pitch's eyes darkened. _If I can't have a family then I'll have my believers. If can't be beloved then I will be feared. _

Jack heard it from Fall who heard about it from the March Lion who heard it from Father Time. Pitch Black had raised an army and was attempting to destroy the Guardians of Childhood.

The Jack O'Lantern shook his head. He should have known that bastard would try something like this.

"You need to stay away from Pitch." He told Samhain. "If he needs to be taken out then I don't want you involved."

Sam barely looked at him. "I haven't seen Pitch in months." He reminded his partner.

Oh yes. How could he have forgotten? That had been the happiest Jack could remember being in a very long time. He practically did a jig. "Right," the Pumpkin King turned back to his reading. "I was just saying. Just in case…"

It turns out there was no need to worry. The Guardians with the help of a human child and Jack Frost were able to defeat the Nightmare King and drive Pitch back into his hole.

Jack had expected Samhain to be more upset by the news, but the Halloween King had taken the info in stride and said he was going for a fly.

He went flying a lot lately…

Jack O'Lantern sighed. Sam would come to him. He would need a hand to hold and a shoulder to cry on. He would need Jack to comfort him just like before.

Now that Pitch was gone it would be like old times.

Right?

_Epilogue_

The factory had to be cleaned and reconfigured before they could hold the wedding. The manufacturing wings had to be completely removed and were converted into the reception hall. The living quarters were also taken out to give them extra space for the guests. It exhausted their magic and Samhain and Jack O'Lantern crashed at North's palace to recuperate and finish the preparations.

The guests had RSVP'd and the menu had been planned out. Finger foods, lots of alcohol, and chocolate.

Jack had insisted. "What sort of Halloween Spirit would I be if I didn't have chocolate at my wedding?" he had demanded.

So there was a three-tiered wedding cake with buttercream frosting and mini white chocolate skulls and milk chocolate bats as decorations. There was also a chocolate fountain with strawberries, marshmallows, and an assortment of cookies to dip. Caramels and chocolates were placed into black silk bags to be placed on the tables for guests.

The amount of sugary treats had horrified Toothiana who held the menu so tightly in her hands that her knuckles had gone white.

"We're not changing it." Jack O'Lantern said firmly.

The seating arrangement had to be changed because North refused to let Bunnymund sit next to Jack. The Guardian of Wonder had found out about their relationship in the least favorable way possible. Upon hearing a commotion in his coat closet, North had grabbed one of his sabers and gone to investigate. When he opened the door, Nicholas St. North was greeted by the sight of Frost with his trousers down his ankles and Bunny positioned behind him, running his tongue along Jack's white neck.

Bunny had immediately backed away as far as the closet would let him. He held up his paws. "It's not what it looks like!" the Pooka stammered. "I was just groomin' him."

Jack decided to go and get Pitch when North started chasing Aster around the shop, waving his sword and swearing loudly in Russian.

"You're acting like a crazy person!" Pitch had commented. "Of course they're having sex." The Nightmare King put his hands on his hips. "They've been living together for over a year! What did you think they've been doing? Playing Boggle?"

In the end, Nicholas St. North won. Jack's seat was moved to his left and Aster was moved to sit on his right so that North could make sure "No more hanky-panky" happened.

On the day of the ceremony, Pitch and North both agreed that the elves should remain home for the obvious reasons. Pitch had developed a soft spot for Dingle (which he would deny if anyone asked) so he let the elf slip into the sleigh and hide under his seat when North's back was turned. If the Boogeyman knew about the sack that Dingle had folded and tucked under his tunic he would have sent the elf right back into the Workshop.

The ceremony was beautiful. Fall had been able to decorate halls with some of her autumn foliage. North had his yetis attend to the food table and ushering duties.

The Groundhog was very well behaved during the ceremony especially with Phil standing behind him. Father Time was once again the officiator. Jack O'Lantern looked especially handsome in his black waist coat and orange ascot. His black breeches tucked inside knee-high black leather boots completed the ensemble. The Pumpkin King's flaming mouth smiled across at Samhain. The Halloween King looked quite dashing in his outfit. He wore waist coat like Jack but with a white lace shirt underneath. His trousers stopped at his calves and he wore white stockings with them and finished it with black shoes with shining gold buckles. Sam's long black hair was tied back with an orange ribbon and Tooth had used some gel to fix his bangs.

Father Time tapped his staff on the floor. "By the power vested in me by the Man in the Moon, I now pronounce you partners for life. You may now kiss your husband."

Jack O'Lantern took a hold of the sides of his head and yanked. His neck stretched in such a way that some of the spirits sitting in the crowd cringed. The pumpkin slid free and Jack tucked it under his arm. Tossing his hair over his shoulder, Jack O'Lantern grinned. "Shall we?"

Samhain nodded. Jack took him into his arms and held him close. "I love you," O'Lantern whispered.

Sam shivered with delight. He would never tire of hearing those words. "Love you too."

"Get to the good part!" Jack Frost yelled. Sandy yanked him back into his seat.

Jack O'Lantern rolled his eyes but Sam giggled. "Might as well give the people what they want."

Jack grinned and cradled the back of Sam's head. He kissed him gently, running his tongue over Samhain's bottom lip before slipping it inside. His hands slid down his husband's back and moved to cup Sam's rear.

Father Time coughed loudly. "Keep it PG." he ordered. "Baby New Year is here."

Jack and Sam parted. "To be continued," the Pumpkin King leered.

"Lovely ceremony." Pitch Black told them. The Boogeyman gave the newlyweds a one-armed hug. He had the Sandman tucked under his other arm.

"Thanks, Pitch." Sam grinned. "Glad you could be here and thanks for acting as the Best Man."

Jack eyed Sandy. "What's with him?"

"Open bar."

"Ah." Jack poked Sandy's foot. The Dreamgiver kicked at him halfheartedly before going limp. "Is he going to be okay?"

Pitch shrugged. "I'll get some water in him. He should be—ˮ the Boogeyman suddenly yelped loudly. "_Sanderson_!" he jostled the smaller spirit. "You watch those hands, you little pervert!" the Nightmare King scowled. "Sorry," he apologized to Samhain and Jack O'Lantern. "His hands tend to roam when he's drunk. Aughh! Swear to god, Sanderson!" he pulled the Sandman up and glared at him.

Sandy's eyes were unfocused, his round cheeks were flushed. He made a kissy face at Pitch. The Boogeyman sighed. "I think I'll hand you off to Tooth." The Nightmare King sighed. "Congratulations again, you two."

Samhain looked at Jack. "You think North knows about Sandy groping Pitch?"

"Probably not and judging by how drunk Sandman looked I doubt he knows either."

The Halloween King took Jack's hand in his. "Well, I think we should probably limit his drinks." Sam stuck his thumbnail into his mouth and chewed on it. Jack popped at it.

"Stop that." He frowned. "What's wrong?"

"You're happy, right?"

Jack looked confused. "That's a strange thing to ask at the wedding reception." He pointed out. The Pumpkin King smiled. "But to answer your question: yes. You make me very happy, Samhain."

The Halloween King beamed and nestled closer to his partner. "So am I."

A tiny red blur went running past their feet, clutching an entire platter of cookies.

Jack's jaw dropped. "Was that an elf?" he demanded. "What the hell is an elf doing here?"

Pitch looked over from where he was placing Sandy into the Tooth Fairy's arms. He quickly made himself scarce.

Sam laughed. "Forget it." He hugged Jack O'Lantern around the waist. "We can worry about it later.

Jack looked like he was about to argue, but Samhain kissed him and the words died on his lips. He sighed. "Well, I guess it's not a big deal. Wanna dance?" He led Sam to the dance floor.

**_The End_**


End file.
